


Super Gal Pal Trio

by Winston_The_Wide



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Character Death In Dream, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Growth, How is there not a Catra/Scorpia/Entrapta tag?, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Look honestly I'm just having fun, Multi, OT3, Overcoming Trauma, Post Season 1, Slow Burn, The Smut is Now, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-09-27 20:23:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 49,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17168789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winston_The_Wide/pseuds/Winston_The_Wide
Summary: With the Whispering Woods still recovering from the Horde attack on Brightmoon, the Horde press the advantage and begin construction of a secret outpost hidden in the forest and only Hordak's best can be entrusted to make it happen. Without any contact from the outside world, Catra finds herself trapped with a cast of familiar faces from her past and a dire need to keep herself busy unless she wants to be trapped with her own thoughts.Fortunately, the Super Pal Trio have free reign in a secret base they get to call all their own.





	1. Log Day 3: A Cure for Boredom

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for giving this a read. 
> 
> I've never really done fanfiction before but I've been inspired lately and really just kind of want to contribute to the community. I'll be updating sporadically until I can figure out a schedule I like.

Somewhere deep in the slowly recovering Whispering Woods, still wracked from the devastation of the Black Garnets sudden freeze, something foul took root. Among the twisted trees and hidden ruins of the once shifting landscape grew a new form in jagged and unnatural ways. The forest quaked as it’s alloyed skeleton and armored hide slowly came together under the supervision of automated workers, and on it’s partially completed exterior hung the winged banner of the Horde.

For too long the eldritch woods had been an unconquerable barrier. An edge that allowed the Rebellion to move with impunity and establish the terms of engagement at their whim. But since the world was forced out of balance, that edge had dulled.

It had been a few weeks since the assault against Brightmoon left both sides of the conflict on the mend, and while the Horde had an opportunity to press it’s true advantage of numbers, a prolonged siege of the castle would prove pointless without the means to garrison and move troops forward.

They needed a foothold, and there was no better time and place.

 

And so, without hesitation Lord Hordak made a plan. A forward keep would be constructed in the woods while they were still blighted, built in secret with only the best and boldest manning it. Few in number, but peerless in training.

It all promised to be dangerous, daring, and dramatic.

Which was why, at that moment, Catra was pondering why it was she was so-

 

“Boooooorrreeed...”

 

The feline yawned from her spot lounging atop an exposed support beam to noone in particular. It had only been three days since their arrival and while the robotic construction was moving at an exceptional rate, there had been little to nothing else to do.

 

When Hordak called on her specifically to take to the Whispering Woods for a mission he could only entrust to his best, Catra had envisioned more. Much more. Skirmishes with outriding rebels or scouting parties. Dangerous and wild beasts rampaging through the bones of the fledgling facility. A certain princess and her merry band making an appearance.

But no. No the most exciting thing that had happened in the last week was Scorpia finding a wild pepper that was supposedly too hot to eat and the cadets all immediately challenging each other to eat it.

Oh.

Yeah.

The crack team manning the facility? The elite unit being dedicated to oversee the autonomous crew and security of the spear point of all future Horde incursions against the Rebellion? A skeleton crew made primarily of Catra’s old squadron.

 

“Familiar with the enemy and commanding officer.” Hordak said. “A successful history of infiltration and covert work.”

Catra was convinced what he meant was “expendable but dependable.” Why else send a unit of only recently graduated cadets deep into enemy territory? Sure, they were good. She wouldn’t argue that unless it was Lonnie saying it, but she was hoping for something a little more elite. The closest she had to that was Scorpia who was admittedly incredibly competent but also so incredibly… her.

 

Still, if the staffing was the last of her problems she would have counted herself lucky. Happy even to be bored with a bunch of wet blankets. But no, she quickly discovered the first night that with a complete lack of anything to do she could only think.

Even after she found out who she’d be traveling with back in Hordak’s throne room it sounded amazing. At least she’d have the comfort of familiarity, even if it wasn’t her first choice for company. And being miles away and out of touch of any and all commanding officers? She’d finally be able to relax for once. No thinking about Shadow Weavers inevitable revenge. No having to make plays under pressure to impress the higher ups. No more relics from a life she was doing her best to remind herself was dead.

No more haunted hallways or barracks filled with ghosts. She’d finally be able to get away from it. From the memory of _her_.

 

But the kind of ghosts she was looking to escape from didn’t stay put.

They traveled.

 

It was in her bunk in her private quarters - one of the first things to be assembled on freshly laid foundation - that the thought struck her.

 

_What kind of trouble could I get into with Adora out here?_

 

An invasive quandary she quickly tried to push aside as she replayed the recent and multiple fights the two had in her head, but every time she twisted in her sheets those haunting thoughts whispered inside of her head.

_What would she have named the fort?_

_What would she have done with her room?_

_Would she like the way you decorated?_

_Does she like the color? Should you change it?_

_Imagine a bed this big for the two of you. That’d been a nice change._

No matter how much she glared at old photos and promised revenge on her old _colleague_ \- a word she’d taken to when referring to Adora recently- she couldn’t escape. And it only got worse when she started catching herself answering the questions in earnest.

 

Thus, she had taken to sleeping as little as she could and keeping herself as busy as she could. The only time she stopped to rest was when the exhaustion was too much and she was certain she could get away without a self inflicted interrogation. It wasn’t an easy task, given how little she had to do, but she quickly found that physical training in the wilderness surrounding the fort was enough to fill the time.

Which brings us back to her spot atop the girder, groggy and just waking to a slowly descending midday sun to promptly lament her predicament.

 

“Why is this place so boring? How is this a good use of a Force ADMIRALS time? Sitting in the woods? I haven’t blown anything up in daaaayyssss…” Her whine slowly degraded into a rising groan, hands dragging down her face.

 

“Well we do have some excavation that needs to be done to make way for some of the subsystems that will run away from the base-”

 

The last thing Catra expected was for someone to answer her aimless remark, practically pouncing off the precarious perch at the sudden chipper response. Her head whipped around and pupils narrowed on the figure of the final member of their expedition.

Heavy boots swung back and forth over the side of the same beam the Force Admiral had taken their cat nap. Bright pink lenses on a thick metal mask reflecting Catra’s surprised look right back at her in double. And, of course, two long tendrils of lilac hair intertwined into the form of ever shifting limbs that held on to a worn recorder.

Entrapta.

Perhaps Hordaks most confusing decision, the princess turned prisoner turned asset was to come along as the supervisor of the construction. From a  logistics standpoint it made sense, everything she touched was better than anything else the Horde was able to cobble together over the years and it was no secret her castle was a labyrinthian nightmare.

If anyone could assemble a fortress that could go both undetected and unbreached, it was her.

But from the side of sensibility, there was very real threat of Entrapta forgetting what side she was on again. Especially since she didn’t seem to see things as a matter of sides. The world was her petri dish, and everyone else was just a lab partner (or test subject.)

 

Of course Catra did everything she could to keep her claws sunk in deep, but it was only a matter of just the slightest nudge for another change of allegiance. It raised a great number of questions among the force captains, but none of them mattered at the moment. There was only one question on her mind.

“What are you doing?!” her voice cracked as it left her mind and squeaked out her mouth.

 

“Well I was just telling you about the excavation we need to do to set up the backup generators. What are you doing?” Her visor rose as she looked sincerely inquisitive to the expected answer.

 

“I- wh- th-...” Catra sputtered before giving up. It was too early to deal with this, even if it was mid afternoon. A second to cool down and collect herself and she was back to being the coolest cat this side of the Fright Zone. “What I meant to ask is what are you doing up here while I’m trying focus on very important things.”

 

“Oh! I was watching you sleep.”

 

Well. So much for being the coolest of cats. It didn’t matter how much time they’d spent together, Entrapta never failed to find ways to surprise her.

 

“It’s part of the study I’m performing on the side.” She continued without a moment phased by Catra’s expression. “A small sample size of individuals with varying degrees of history placed inside of a confined space and forced to coexist. No means of escape. No outside influences. A social vacuum. I’ve been monitoring the changes in everyone’s behaviors and habits and so far the projected outcomes are sure to be explosive! Isn’t it fascinating?!”

 

“So. It’s not just me you’re watching sleep. And here I thought I was special.” Her voice couldn’t have been dryer but the tone seemed unnoticed and short lived.

 

“Oh no you are.”

 

“What?” She cracked despite her best efforts to remain unsurprised.

 

“Of all present individuals, your habits have changed the most. And in ways that defy all projections! Originally, I estimated that in the absence of anyone in the hierarchy higher than yourself in a situation you have practically complete social control of, your behaviors would have adjusted to that of most alpha’s in a new pack. Displays of dominance, strength, and increased bravado accompanied by a reduced amount of stress.

But! You have completely turned the projections around! Based on my control studies not only have you decreased the amount of time you spend socializing but you have also drastically reduced the amount of non-essential communication to practically zero percent!”

 

“Wait. What do you mean control-”

 

“And even MORE surprising, even though you are effectively the apex predator in this situation your habits show increased amounts of stress! You’ve taken to actively avoiding others and have been sleeping approximately sixty percent less than you did previously, and even taken to unhealthy coping mechanics- such as adopting irregular sleeping habits and increasing the amount of time spent partaking in extraneous physical activity! At this rate, I expect-”

 

Padded palms clapped upon Entrapta’s cheeks and promptly silenced her, a nonplussed feline staring her down.

“Listen. Spying on people is all good and fun when it’s OTHER people. Not me. So do me a favor- “ She released her prey and gave her a small tap on the nose. “- leave me out of your crazy experiments and I’ll make sure all the other little guinea pigs stay none the wiser to your little peep show, alright?”

 

It was clear that the resident amateur anthropologist didn’t take to well too the request, a crestfallen look looming across her features with downturned eyes. And- despite how perfectly sane of a request it was- Catra couldn’t help but feel a tug on her heartstrings.

And then a sensation she couldn’t quite explain. A drop in her stomach as Entrapta looked away to fiddle with her recorder. A sensation she was intimately familiar with but still foreign enough she couldn’t understand it, but it was certainly making her anxious.

Catra had to “fix” this, and she didn’t know why.

 

“Actually...” The charm came back thick, a claw running up the princesses jawline and breaking away to find one of those sentient pigtails to toy with. “How about this. Obviously I have just sooooo much important Admiral work to be doing but maybe, just maybe, I can take some time to be your science buddy if it means getting to spy on my inferiors.”

And just like that the sparkle was back in her eyes, a quartet of hands both of flesh and hair pulling into her chest in a gesture of excitement.

“Really?! You’d be willing to help me monitor the experiment?!”

 

“Suuuure.” The feline drawled, toying with the hair where it was thickest. “I get to get some dirt on Lonnie and make sure you’re not creeping on me at the same time. It sounds like a blast. Speaking of which, later we can go blow up those subsystems or whatever.”

 

Instantly she was rewarded with the brightest of smiles, all pearly whites on display just for her. There was something oddly satisfying about it, but Catra couldn’t be bothered to unpack the thought.

 

“Oh this will be so much fun! Everyone’s shifts will be ending in a few hours and the automated defenses will activate- that’s the best time to monitor the behaviours you know. Nowhere to go but inside the perimeter.”

Immediately Entrapta began her decent, hair wrapping around the beam and lowering her to the next as she descended. “If we hurry I can give you a complete tour of the ventilation systems and the best viewing spaces. This will be just like the Prom. OH! WE CAN’T FORGET TO GET SNACKS.”

 

“Of course, what’s a good stake-out with some snacks.” Catra rolled her eyes as she nimbly followed Entrapta down to the courtyard. “Also did you say ventilation system?”

 

“I made sure to have the food dispensers here set up to provide tiny food! I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, and I’ve ensured the quality is much better than back in the Fright Zone. And the vents are much roomier, I ensured there’s sufficient room for work should the need ever arise- as it does now! Oh and…”

 

Entrapta continued to ramble as she scurried deeper into the completed portions of the complex, her excitement uncontained as she hurried forward. The only time she would stop was to turn and wait,  gesticulating wildly as she Catra sauntered up only for the process to begin again. It was clear she wasn’t actually listening to anyone who was paying attention, but Entrapta didn’t seem to notice or mind.

Instead, Catra was very much focused on mentally preparing herself for the night to come and wondering if it really was better than chasing off ghosts.


	2. Best Friends. Aren't they great?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpia - What's she up to?

 

“Alright Cadets! Good work today!” Chitin clacked on chitin as Scorpia beamed down on a very bored looking gaggle of Horde privates. “Another day with no incident and some great progress on the base! Gold stars all around. If I had them. Which I don’t- yet! But don’t worry I put in a requisition form in before we left and they should be coming in with the next supply drop! So for now, good job!” 

She made an arm pumping gesture the cadets had taken to translating to a thumbs up, but was responded with little more than unenthusiastic looks and at attention forms. It wasn’t until after a long moment of awkward silence that Lonnie stepped forward and piped up.

 

“Riiiiight. Are we dismissed? ‘Cause this place is way muggier than I expected and I am dying for a shower right now.”

 

“Oh! Yes. Cadets, you are dismissed! Get some rest, it’s going to be a big day again tomorrow!” 

And with that, the group shuffled off to the sound of quiet chattering until Scorpia was left alone looking over the courtyard of the base. It was a few days now, and already the base was looking amazing. At least it was to her. 

 

To most people, the differences in the standard pre-fabricating bases and the one they were in the process of constructing would have been unnoticeable. But already Scorpia could make out all the little details and how things were going to look once completed, and it was nothing like the Horde had ever built before. It really did have that special princess touch that you just can’t put your claw on unless you were one, and the work Entrapta was doing had her signature all over.

Of course, it wouldn’t be obvious until it was done but until then the Force Captain was excited to see the progress unfold.

 

Taking one last look at what was done so far, she beamed proudly before turning heel and following after the cadets into the functional portions of the facility. Just like everyone else, she was eager to give the finished showers a try and let the automated defenses take over for the night while the construction came to a halt. 

So far, they’d been without the luxury of a fully functional plumbing system as more critical work was far more pressing but the barracks was just about fully fleshed out now with all the amenities a growing cadet needed! Except a rec-room or proper training facility, but it wasn’t so bad.

 

Scorpia came prepared, spending her free time working on personal projects. It was a rare opportunity to work on her landscapes, after all, and she had a set of pastels she was just dying to use. 

But art could wait! Every good Force Captain knew a hygienic soldier was a functional soldier and she began trailing after the rest of the residents of the fort towards the shiny new facilities. Or, she intended to, when something else caught her attention.

 

“Psst…”

 

She paused, looking around at what appeared to be an otherwise empty hallway before a grin crept across her face. “Catraaaa. Is that you?”

 

“Wow. Got it in one.” The voice responded from seemingly nowhere.

 

“Where are you? Are you invisible? Did you find some sort of crazy magical princess thing out in the forest that turned you invisible? Do you need me get some paint to make you visible? I have some spare in my room- “

 

“No I’m not invisible. Look up.” 

 

Something fell into her hair before she the words were even finished being uttered before tumbling down and into her claws. It was a tiny nutrient cake in the shape of a decorative succulent that evoked a “D’aw, cute” from her before she obeyed the disembodied voice of her friend.

From a hatch in the ceiling reflected two bright eyes of gold and blue, and a cheshire grin that came more into focus the longer she looked. Suddenly it swung open, and there in she could see the lounging form of her best friend in the entire world.

 

“Catra! What are you doing up there?”

 

“Oh, you know. Important things. Making sure there’s no descent in the ranks o-”

 

“We’re monitoring the behavioural changes in the cadets!” Entrapta promptly shoved her way into view, mashing hair up against Catra to make room. “The changes in behaviour have been fascinating so far as tension slowly begins to rise and new social hierarchies begin to form in the wake of the change of venue.”

 

“Ha! Hey Entrapta!” Scorpia waved at her other best friend in the entire world.

 

Entrapta waved back excitedly before Catra shoved her way back into the opening.

 

“ANYWAY. Listen. I’m going to be doing this tonight so if any of the cadets need anything I just need you to cover for me, alright?”

 

“Ooh. A special mission? A special BEST FRIEND mission? Anything for you, best bud. And hey, if you guys ever need to like switch out or anything you know where to find me. Afterall, you’re spying on us! Ha! Classic Super Pal Trio!”

 

A unisoned shush came from the vent as Scorpia winced and glanced down towards where the rest of the cadets had gone, but it didn’t seem it caught their attention.

 

“Sorry!” she stage whispered. “But let me know if you need anything, and remember to stay hydrated! Alright?”

 

“I’ve ensured we have enough liquid refreshments to last the night and they’re all in a variety of flavors!” A tendril of hair emerged showing Scorpia a bright red fluid inside a utilitarian glass bottle. 

 

“Well… I guess it’ll do in a pinch but make sure you get some water too! Hydration is an important part of the day we all need to make sure we take part in!” She smiled again, offering that arm pump to the duo who glanced to one another and then back.

 

“Suuure. Will do Scorpia. But we need to get a move on if we want to catch all the good gossip. And thanks for covering for me again, byyyyyeeee…!”

 

And with that, Catra shut the vent and Scorpia was left alone once again, chuckling to herself. 

“Man. We get up to the craziest stuff. I can’t wait to hear all about it when they get back.”

 

She paused, looking slyly to the vent again.

 

“If they aren’t back -already-! Ha! Super Pal Trio!” Both claws pointed at the vent as she struck a pose, staring up for a good long moment as she expected one or both friends to reemerge.

 

They didn’t. 

 

Scorpia chuckled and shook her head.

 

“Got me this time, gang. Got me this time.”

 

She repeated this process four more times before reaching the showers.

 

And then once more for good measure.


	3. Locker Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahah... did I tag this mostly fluff? WoOops

To the unobservant, the layout of the forward Horde base- still pending a name- was not much to look at. It appeared by in large standard affair at it’s mainly incomplete stage with only the bare necessities assembled like a functional generator, food processor, domiciles, and the oh so recently completed water recycling system. Even the imposing automated workforce and defense systems were only partially complete, sharing a power grid that couldn’t support both operating at once. All in all, it looked like nothing more than barebones and promises.  
But from within and with a guide, Catra was very quickly discovering there was much more her little secret base than she could have imagined after only three days.

Hidden in every wall and between every floor was a labyrinth of tunnels, ducts, secret rooms and traps that could go unnoticed to even those who were tasked with it’s supervision. A veritable maze of pathways that required shuffling through air-ducts to navigating across hanging bars over an imposing bed of certain death by comically large mechanical maws. Like a ball of yarn unraveled and swiftly tangled back together, metal pathways intertwined and wove in chaotic paths to create a system that paralleled a circulatory system in its complexity.  
It was mad. It was genius. And above all else, it was the most fun Catra had experienced since arrival.

Of course her first encounter with a trap was met with surprise and anger, but with Entrapta’s guidance and assurance she quickly found the life threatening challenge to be exactly what she needed.  Even at a slow pace she found a novel challenge in navigating the secret pathways, trying her best to create a mental map while putting her dexterity to the test as she avoided unexpected dangers - even when Entrapta failed to remember or mention an impending challenge when it was too late.

It wasn’t until Catra reached the small observation room hidden above the newly installed locker rooms, chest heaving and grin eyes frantically scanning for the next threat, did she realize just how enthused she had become with the impromptu obstacle course.

Unfortunately, as her fellow vent dweller filed in after her beaming excitedly and promptly sitting on a coil of her hair did she realize that it had ended all just as it was getting good.

 

“Social Observation experiment, day three, hour seventeen. My partner and I have arrived in nexus three of the personnel sections of the base and are awaiting to take advantage of the phenomenon known as ‘locker talk’ to gain further insight on the subjects. Expectations are high as...”  
Entrapta rattled on into her recorder, excitedly pressing her face to the grate as she watched for any signs of the cadets emerging below. Catra, not really bothering to actually pay attention to the very one sided discussion, instead plopped down nearby in the low-ceiling confines of the room they had reached.  The adrenaline and dopamine coursing through her system were a much needed hit she had been chasing since they had arrived, and she did the best she could to hold onto it for as long as she could. But all good things come to an end, and it was after a few minutes of focusing on the burning of her muscles and throbbing of her heart did she realize the high was gone. 

With a bitter sigh, she turned her attention back on the rambling scientist just in time to catch the end of her pre-observation report.

“... and should that transpire I suspect casualties will remain to a minimum.”

Catra blinked, and Entrapta turned to her with a grin the went from ear to ear.  
“This should be exciting! I’ve never had a research partner before. Especially one who has personal insight into the subjects we’re studying. Feel free to contribute with anything special you might have regarding any observations.”

She smiled back and shook her head, still feeling the slightest tingle of a post workout satisfaction. “I’ll be sure to let you know all the best ways to tick off Lonnie before the night is done, princess. Speaking of, any sign of them yet? We’ve been waiting in here for like an hour.”

“Well if you round up from three minutes and forty four seconds, yes, we have been! As for the subjects I’ve detected no sign yet, I suspect they’re taking full advantage of the completed water recycling system after the metaphorical drought.” 

Both of them turned to stare down through the grate expectantly, but to no avail.

 

Seconds passed and Catra was immediately beginning to feel a creeping boredom demand something. So, she occupied herself with the only thing present; Entrapta. Laying out on her stomach, a claw idly reached for a tendril of that lilac hair before filing through it’s sentient strands. The princess didn’t seem to mind the fingers weaving through her pigtails, and Catra could even swear she caught her smile grow a little wider.

“So...” She purred, swinging her feet back and forth in the air. “Were you ever going to tell me about all the crazy secrets you were building into  _ my  _ secret lair, or was that just a surprise I was supposed to find out on my own?”

Immediately she was rewarded with a curious but amused smile from the architect. “I just did?”

“Yeah well…” her attention pulled up from the twisting length of hair that seemed equally as interested in exploring her hand as she was exploring it, settling on ruby eyes. “Next time you’re planning something like this tell me first. I’m a bit of an expert in sneaking around Horde bases as it is, I might have a few suggestions.”

This time, she knew she saw a change in her smile and a urgentness in how she suddenly looked away.  
“You know, I never really had many friends back in Dryl who would help me with my work. Except Bow, but even he was always busy with the rebellion. It’s refreshing to have someone so enthusiastic with helping with my experiments!”

There it was again. That smile that was so genuine and thankful and just for Catra. And once again it sent a jolt of energy through her nerves she didn’t understand save that she liked it.

“I told you, didn’t I? You belong in the Horde. With us.” A carnivorous smirk pulled her lips back in a display of pearly white fangs as her voice lowered to a rumble. “You don’t need to fit into the pretty little boxes the other princesses want you to, you just need to be… you.”

A visible shudder ran up Entrapta’s spine as she focused her attention so entirely on the grate it looked like she was trying to open it with her mind. It conjured a chuckle from the cat toying with her hair, still all fangs and wandering claws and just a touch of obliviousness.   
“You okay there Princess? You look like that time you tried charging a battery pack with the Black Garnet. All-” Her face contorted into a mocking display of electrocution, wide eyed and gritted teeth before devolving into a chuckle. “-ZZZT. You went flying across the room! You’re not sitting on a live wire, are you?”

Entrapta opened her mouth to reply, but only a flustered stammer rattled past her lips when the sounds of metal slamming caught both of their attention.

As if on cue, the cadets had finally emerged saving further awkwardness.

 

“I swear. If I had to take one more dry shower I was gonna lose it. I don’t care what the higher ups say- some gel and powder is not the same as a nice hot shower.” Lonnie was the first into the shared space, tugging on the white and red uniform of the Horde. “Why did we even have to wait so long for the showers? Like, shouldn’t this have been day one stuff? Support facilities?”

“I uh. I think that things like the automated defenses so we don’t need to do night shifts were probably higher priority?” A towel pulled away from the wild dandelion hair of Kyle as he chimed in, quickly smoothed flat by a large clawed hand as Rogelio passed him.

“Alright fine. I guess you got a point. But still, I just get this vibe you know? Like the barracks shoulda been done before now. Like. What’s up with these tiles? Why ain’t it just basic sheet metal like back in the Fright Zone? Or the beds? Why don’t we just have standard stacked bunks? Does everyone REALLY need their own bed? And the food?”

“Are you really going to complain about decent rations?” Another cadet chimed, Kyle seemingly run out of confidence almost immediately after Lonnie responded.

“Look. I’m not saying it’s not nice. But that’s the problem- nice takes time. I bet the living quarters could have been done in half the time if we just stuck to basics. And if we did stick to basics, we all coulda been taking showers yesterday. But I guess it makes sense though, Catra is running the show and I mean… you know how she takes a bath…”  
Lonnie grinned at the room of cadets as she began pantomiming licking her arm. “Don’t need running water for that!”

 

“I do not…” Catra began to growl as she watched the room share a laugh together at her expense only to be interrupted by Entrapta.

“I know.”

“Wait. What do you mean you know?”

She did not answer, instead too occupied with whispering into her recorder between sips of her fizzy drink as they continued below.

 

“I guess when you think about it, it all makes sense. Catra’s best buds with a princess. Her old best bud was a princess too. Makes you wonder if she’s got a type, y’know? Maybe she’s got a thing for soft and sparkles. Gotta have her little tea-cakes instead of a perfectly fine ration bar these days. Too good for the Horde standard.” Again the room joined in laughing as Lonnie stuck her nose in the air and extended her pinkie finger to better drink her imagined tea.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Lonnie was never Catra’s biggest fan and she was never scared to let her know it. But there was a part of her that thought maybe, just maybe, after everything her and the rest of her squad would finally smarten up and realize just how damn amazing she had been all along. Respect her even, possibly. Not that she cared if they didn’t. She didn’t need their validation, but to hear them still taking shots at her after everything she’d done?  
Catra remained stone faced but the rest of her body betrayed the growing anger, her ears flattened to her head and tail thrashing from side to side. The rest of the room slowly began to slip away as her sole focus turned predatory like on Lonnie and the audacity of it all, realizing just how much like Adora and Shadow Weaver she was. Just another obstacle holding her back, treating her like the runt of the litter.

Deeper and deeper she slipped into her own head, still hidden behind a mask of expressionlessness, when something pulled her brows back in surprise.

 

“I don’t think that’s very fair…”

The room fell silent for an instant as all eyes turned immediately onto Kyle who shrunk from the sudden universal attention. He glanced nervously around the skeptical cadets when that claw settled on him again. Rogelio stood behind him, only giving the small cadet a nod of assurance before looking on.

“I… I don’t think it’s fair to make fun of Catra like that.” he continued, struggling but daring to continue with the reptilian form of his friend metaphorically and literally behind him. “I don’t… I don’t think we should make fun of her.”

“Psht. What, you scared of her now that’s she’s Second in Command? She’s still just as lazy as ever. You seen her napping around the facility?” Lonnie’s retort was quick and sharp, almost enough to make Kyle go silent again were it not for the squeeze from the great green claw still resting on him. 

“I’m not scared of… okay. I’m a little scared of her. But I think maybe she deserves a little more respect? I mean. She IS second in command. And look at everything she’s done just getting there. She captured the Princess and her friend Bow, almost took Brightmoon, and she beat Shadow Weaver… “ He trailed off as the withering stares became too much, casting his eyes onto the tiles of the locker room.

But it seemed, despite it coming from Kyle, it had the intended effect. The room went silent a moment as several cadets muttered to one another, sharing silent agreement by way of nods and shrugs.  
It was only Lonnie who remained staunchly skeptical. 

“Sure, she  _ lost  _ at Brightmoon cause she couldn’t put Adora in the ground. And from what I heard when she took down Shadow Weaver she wasn’t alone. Scorpia and the princess were there to help her. Knowing Catra, she waited till the old woman was too worn out and came in for the killing blow…”

 

Whatever came out of her mouth next was completely lost to Catra. That was the last straw. Catra wouldn’t have some nobody who lost a fight against Adora and let the princesses get away try and rewrite history right in front of her. She didn’t fight tooth and nail to overcome every obstacle for this. She didn’t go beyond everyone’s expectations for this. She didn’t need their respect, but damn it all if she didn’t deserve it even if it meant teaching Lonnie and every cadet down there to fear her in the process.  
Claws reached for the vent cover, only to be stopped by a wave of lilac. 

“What are you doing!? Let me g- hmmph!” Instantly her mouth was covered, although it did little to stop the muffled swearing. 

Her whole form was pulled back as Entrapta put herself between the force admiral and cadets below, hair pressing her flush to the wall.    
“Shhh! We can’t let them know we’re here! If we make it known to any of them it’ll ruin the entire experiment! They’ll know they’re being observed, creating a bias in the final results! It’ll be the end of the tests!”

Catra managed to wrestle one of her hands free waving wildly at the hatch before trying to pull the curtain of hair keeping her mouth shut. This, of course, didn’t end as intended as living sentient hair pulled her hand against her own mouth now. The struggle grew more frantic as Entrapta looked worried back and forth between the people below who had yet to notice them and her partner. It was only a matter of time before they heard.   
But once more, she was saved by the bell as a familiar voice snapped along to the sound of chitin.

 

“Cadet Lonnie!” The often soft and warm voice of Force Captain Scorpia put every single person who heard it stiff and silent- much to Entrapta’s relief. The cadets however suddenly found themselves very much on edge as they snapped to an at-attention pose. Even out of uniform and wrapped in a towel she was an imposing figure.

“I couldn’t help but overhear how excited you were to have the showers finally installed. That’s perfect! I was going to bring up starting custodial shifts to make sure they stay clean tomorrow morning, but it sounds like you’d be more than happy to volunteer! Great! You start now.” 

Despite her best efforts, Lonnie found herself struggling to offer a witty comeback as her superior officer towered over her. With gritted teeth she nodded.

“Yes ma’am…”

“And just to clear things up, Catra didn’t need any help fighting Shadow Weaver. She did it ALL by herself. We were in the Black Garnet chamber when it happened. I couldn’t move, but Catra? She totally got out of the way. And she gave this great speech about how she preparing her whole life for this and then she jumped and-”

Rogelio cleared his throat and Scorpia turned to look at him, momentarily confused before realizing she had begun to ramble. 

“Not that it’s any of your business! Now! Dismissed!” she snapped again, and quickly they all scattered leaving Scorpia alone once again looking knowingly towards the vent above.

 

But as before, noone was there to see her do so.


	4. Pulling the Cat's Tail

Catra had managed to wrestle herself free after Scorpia entered the scene. She still had half a mind to barge in and make a scene of her own, but watching the Force Captain stand up for gave her pause. A knot formed in her stomach as she watched her fight the battle for her, and by the time the rest of the cadets had been dismissed she was already clambering back into the maze to the sound of her name being called out after her.

“Catra! Catra wait for me, it’s not-” Entrapta was promptly interrupted when reflective eyes suddenly whipped around onto her in the darkness. And if the menacing look wasn’t enough to give her a reason to stop talking for just a moment, the sudden finger to Catra’s lips and harsh shushing certainly did it.

“Just. Stop. Stop and leave me alone. I never should have come with you. I should have known everyone still underestimates me. That they still think I’m not enough. That-... That this was a bad Idea. So just stop and leave me alone.” And like that she was off, crawling out of small tunnel and into a corridor tall enough to stand in.

 

Part of her expected it, but genuinely after all the missions together and how hard she fought to be on top she had hoped for more. For respect, for once, from people who were now well below her. But of course. Just like everything else they were just more reminders of things they way they were, and all the more reason to stay clear. 

It would all stop hurting eventually. She just needed people to steer clear.

Of course, Entrapta didn’t get the message, practically within brushing distance of Catra’s tail.

“Well. It wasn’t an ideal outcome, and your outburst- however justifiable- did nearly cost us the entire study but it wasn't all bad! The changes in hierarchy have been interesting! Clearly Cadet A has solidified her position as the Alpha in the absence of competition, but who would have thought cadet C would stand up to her despite it!?” 

There was a pause, the princess walking into Catra’s back and staggering backwards before being faced down by the unsettling shine of her eyes from over the shoulder.

“Do you seriously not know their names?”

“Oh. Of course I do! They’re uh…” The tape recorder was promptly whipped out and swiftly rewound to a measurement that was undefinable to anyone but it’s owner before the play button was pressed, allowing a distorted version of Entrapta take over.   
“-ra. Cadet Lonnie. Cadet Rogelio. Cadet Kyle. Ca-”

“See! Lonnie, Karl, and Rogelio. I know their names. Of course I know their names. I just find it easier to distance myself from the going ons if I keep to calling them by code names.” She beamed excitedly, clearly giddy just to share more insight to her methods before the walking started again.

 

“Okay. Forget I asked. Also. Stop following me.” 

 

“Oh but the traps! You need my assistance to navigate the tunnels. Without my map, not even I-”

They were promptly interrupted by the sound of hissing and a sudden blur of movement as the wall panels lurched into motion slamming into one another in a resounding slam of metal on metal. As they parted, both parties watched the pistons retract from the ground some five feet away, Catra straddled over Entrapta, having grabbed the princess and thrown her out of the way. 

“I think I’ll manage.” Without ceremony she pulled herself back up and started prowling off, leaving a very flustered Entrapta to sit a moment before quickly following after.

“That was amazing! I didn’t even see you move! I don’t suppose you’d be interested in running a few more tests with me in the near future to see the extent of your speed and reflexes? The data could open up all new opportunities for obstacle construction!” 

They curved around a corner and began a gentle decline, the excited chatter only just masking the sound of a gentle ominous clicking below them.

“Sure. If you leave me alone right now, I’ll let you run all the tests you want when we get out alright? So just… go back to spying on the others and let me escape your death maze in peace. Okay?” Catra whipped around, only to blink in confusion when she found no one behind her. 

The same knot from Scorpia suddenly formed in her stomach when she found herself alone, glancing back and forth in a short lived surprise. 

Before she could even turn back around, the clicking came to a sudden stop as the floor beneath her hissed and something slick sprayed from tiny nozzles disguised between rivets. Her grip on the slope suddenly became unstable, tumbling backwards onto her back and quickly finding herself in a headfirst fall into the darkness. Panic gripped at her for only an instant before her senses came back to her. Claws extended and arms reached out to find the walls, dragging deep gashed into the sheet metal before she came to a stop.

“Impressive, as always!” a nasally voice chimed from somewhere above the slippery scene.

Catra scanned the dark shadows near the ceiling of the tunnel only to spot the bright pink glow of Entrapta’s mask. 

“What was that!?” her voice cracked as she tried her best to pull herself up, finding it nearly impossible in her current position.

“You said you didn’t require my assistance! Although I must admit your tactic this time was unorthodox. Was there a reason you chose to go backwards?” If it was anyone else, that would have been a sarcastic jab. But with Entrapta? It was sincere.

Not like that meant Catra was going to sincerely answer it, still too focused on trying to secure her grip.

“I couldn’t hear the trap over you talking, and then when I stopped to talk to you it went off!” She grunted, trying to get her feet involved in some meaningful way but finding them just as slick as the impromptu slide had become. It was starting to get when ridiculous when a gloved hand shoved it’s way into her face.

“Noted, your hearing doesn’t seem to be as keen as your night vision.” Entrapta continued, now suspended directly above the cat in the trap thanks to those tendrils of hair. She waited patiently, and Catra could practically feel the dopey smile from under the mask.

“My hearing is fine…” she grunted, quickly detaching a hand from the wall and into the offered hand before she could gain momentum. “What’s not fine is that I asked you to leave me alone and you haven’t. I was  _ distracted _ .”

They grunted in unison as the pigtails pulled the pair of them up, Catra’s toes hanging just a few inches above the oil-slick. 

“I see, I see…” A sudden click had the feline on edge, scanning the room for the next round of nonsense to start when Entrapta started speaking- this time to her recorder. “Catra study one, log two. It seems that while her reflexes and dexterity are well above average, she struggles with attention…”

 

Catra deadpanned.

“Alright. I’m done.” Her hand released the other and suddenly she was sliding once again. This time, however, she was ready. Her stance was wide and balanced when she hit slippery metal, body low to keep her center of gravity stable as she quickly began racing into the unknown by means much more graceful than her previous trip. 

It was, all said and done, a display of the utmost skill as she maintained balance and dismounted over an impending pitfall waiting for her at the bottom, leaping gracefully across the chasm only to land with a slight skid on the opposite side. 

She didn’t have to see Entrapta’s face to know she was impressed. She also didn’t have to wait for her to cross either, offering a quick salute and smirk before pressing forward with haste.

With a sense of urgency and the edge of natural nocturnal senses, she quickly began making as much distance as she could between herself and the princess hoping eventually she’d get catch the drift. Catra kept expecting the princess to re-emerge from the darkness after each trap she encountered, but after a series of false walls and one enthusiastic robotic bola launching sentry, she was confident she had managed to shake her at long last.

 

It was about the point of that realization that the knot in her stomach returned.

 

Catra wasn’t sure why it was suddenly back, or when it had even gone after after the display from Scorpia, barging in and fighting her battle for her like she was some mewling kitten who couldn’t take care of herself. If it was anger or frustration causing it, it made no sense why it’d go away when she was trapped with Entrapta or why it’d come back after she managed to ditch her. But it couldn’t have been anything else. It was the same way she felt all those years when Adora would make her grand little gestures of pity. The token stands of heroism when Shadow Weaver was being generous. And all the pleas to leave the Horde.

She glowered as she thought on it harder. It was definitely the same sensation, but in the moment of solitude in the dark tunnels she had to face a fact she kept trying to ignore. It was also the same sensation she felt when she realized Adora was gone for good. It hurt. It ached like something was gouged out of her and left empty. 

Was it pride? The best she could tell, the only thing all those things had in common was pity. Pity for Catra. Pity for the weak little cat who had to taken care of because she couldn’t do it herself. Except.

Except why would it be hitting her now? When Entrapta was gone, and not when she was trying to meddle in her business? To guide her as though she couldn’t find her way out of an incomplete maze?

 

Catra sighed, casually slipping beneath a swinging mallet and rounding a familiar corner. She was close to getting out now. There were some flame jets that nearly burnt her tail she still had to navigate somewhere along the way but otherwise she was confident the end was near. And the sooner she was out and able to focus on distracting herself the better.

A pang of disappointment hit her as she considered her sudden urgency to escape. After her first time through the hidden labyrinth, she had planned on occupying herself with it like a personal obstacle course and keeping her mind off the thoughts that plagued her since arriving. But it was clear now that the ghosts had managed to find their way into the walls as well.

A few corners, a tunnel or two that demanded crawling, and a climb up a wall of pipes later, Catra spotted the pinpoints of ignition lights in the darkness ahead. After that, it was just finding an access port into the air vents and climbing back out into the hallway. 

“Alright…” she muttered, squatting low and setting her hands on the ground. “Just another trap. It only scared you the first time because you weren’t expecting it.” Her rear wiggled from side to side as she prepared to pounce, getting lower and lower as the muscles tensed like a spring. A deafening silence overcame her as she felt the adrenaline build up before suddenly launching forward.

And then stopping very hard as something gripped her ankles and made her fall face first into floor. Before she could even collect herself from the impact, the sound of rushing fire sent her reeling back. It wasn’t close enough to be dangerous, but as the jets filled the small tunnel with light and heat she found herself very thankful that whatever just stopped her did so. She definitely wasn’t going to clear the inferno without losing a few tail hairs.

Glancing backwards, she expected to see a trip wire or some manner of bindings attached to a winch that was about to pull her backwards into some other ridiculous danger, only to find instead a coil of hair and pair of bright pink glass eyes staring her down. 

The visor swung up as Entrapta’s beaming smile bombarded her senses as offensively as the sudden brightness of fire. “Woo, that was a close one huh? I suspected you’d have no issue with the rest of the obstacles after running through them once but I just knew this one would be an issue! Afterall, you were  _ distracted  _ the first time!”

The princess snorted as she began to laugh, uncoiling her hair from Catra’s legs and sitting back on her haunches.

“... yea, alright.” Catra swallowed her pride for just a moment, although she compensated for it with the dryest tone she could muster.. “Thanks for the save. But, where did you even come from? I ditched you like fifteen minutes ago?” 

“You really do have to work on your internal clock. It’s only been eight minutes! Wait. Maybe ten? Maybe. But definitely not fifteen!”

Catra rolled her eyes but relented the point.

“Anyway. I never left you! I just decided it’d be more beneficial to both of us if I followed from a distance. This way, I got to observe you navigate the maze and you got the illusion of being alone. A win win!”

“Wait. You’ve been following me this whole time?” Catra blinked in disbelief. She was positive she was alone, she checked. She checked a LOT. Part of her was frustrated, but even she couldn’t hide the fact she was impressed. “Damn, Princess. I keep saying it, but you really do belong in the Horde, don’t you?”

Entrapta twirled her fingers and smiled, face looking a little red.

“Well. You know. I try…” she mumbled, smiling as she glanced aside. “Oh. Uhm. I should deactivate that now, shouldn’t I? You’re impressive but I think we should avoid potential incineration after an otherwise successful run.”

Catra squinted and shifted her jaw.

“Yea. No. Thanks but no thanks princess. I managed to tackle everything else without your help, I can handle this too.” Promptly she squatted again, form wriggling as she prepared for attempt two only to be physically barred by a curtain of lilac. 

“No no no, I insist. I don’t want you to accidentally hurt yourself. Just give me a moment and I’ll-”

“No. _ I _ insist, I can do this just fine without your help. I’ve done fine without your help and I’ll continue to do fine without your help. So thanks, but I got this, Entrapta.” Her tone became harsher as she tried parting the hair only to find it suddenly grip her wrist and pin it to the wall.

“HEY!” she squeaked, not so confused about what she was feeling at the moment, which was most definitely anger. “I GOT this!” 

“It will only take a moment! I promise this is an unnecessary risk.” Entrapta continued, fiddling with a device that beeped and chirped as she tapped it’s screen. 

Catra writhed and thrashed, tugging at her wrist with all her might only to discover once again the hair was much stronger at binding someone than expected. It wasn’t until desperation mixed with the mounting frustrations gave her a surge of strength did she finally pull free, immediately running off the high of the fight or flight response and rushing through the net and towards the trap.

In a blur, she flew through the danger zone and skidded on her belly to a stop a far distance from the singe marks. “See?” she barked, turning back with the smuggest of grins towards the princess and squinting in preparation for the flames to go off. Only, they didn’t. 

Instead, all she saw was the princess breathing a sigh of relief and suddenly rushing her. “Oh that was close! You almost got through before I could turn it off. Are you alright?”

 

It was then a sudden sensation washed over her.

There’s a particular sound when anger starts to boil your thoughts away. It’s a terrible trembling noise, something you feel as much as hear as blood flushes the face and it has this strange effect where it seems to drown out all other noise. Not in the sense it’s too loud to hear anything over it so much as everything else seems to muffle under its presence. 

This was a sensation Catra did know. And she did understand it. Intimately. 

 

Entrapta stopped short when suddenly Catra’s face was in hers, just as quick as she had launched through the trap. Her pupils were sharp, her ears pinned back, and teeth audibly snapped shut as she hissed.

“What the hell?! Why would you do that?! I didn’t want your help!”

The princess was stunned, expression blank at the sudden display of aggression and only managing to stumble over her words before she was cut off again.

“What is with you princesses?! Do I have a sign on my back in First One that says ‘Help Me, I’m Pathetic’ and I just don’t know about it?! Seriously!” A cork had popped. After the half week stewing in her own uncertainty, watching her subordinates ridicule you her so thoroughly, and the slowly mounting frustration of being stalked in the tunnels, she found her breaking point.

“I...I’m sorry? I don’t-”

“Listen? I noticed! None of you do. No matter how many times I say stop following, stop getting in my personal space, stop trying to make me your sidekick, you all just keep trying. If I say I don’t need your help, I don’t need it! I’ve done just fine on my own and I’ll continue to do fine alone!”

“I ah…” Entrapta began to recoil, her arms pulling to her chest and hair beginning to wrap around herself protectively.

“And the thing with Lonnie, what was that?! It was the same thing! I didn’t ask for your help, but you stepped in anyway. And for what? I mean, what’s the big deal if she knows- it’s not like it matters! We told Scorpia. You told me, and I was the most interesting subject or whatever. So why did you…” 

Catra paused mid word, mouth keeping the shape of it as the gears clicked inside her head and Entrapta watched on in confusion and concern.

 

“Entrapta.” she started over, quietly. Her expression began to ease back into that stony complexion. It was clear that a lot more came out than intended, but she did her best to pull herself back into something calmer. “Why did you tell me- the most interesting person to study- but you couldn’t let the background losers know?”

 

The princess shrunk back from the question and it’s asker, remaining tight lipped and visibly overwhelmed by the sudden outburst.    
“I… I don’t… “ She lowered her visor with a tendril of hair and began stroking a pigtail with both hands. “Please don’t be mad.”

“Entrapta…” she urged in a tone that was much more growl than intended.

“I didn’t know we weren’t… Did I do something wrong? Isn’t that what friends… do?” It all came out in the tiniest of voices. Something so small and quiet it was almost unnatural from the often boisterous tones coming out of her mouth. 

“I… I was just trying to help. I’d been studying you for some time like I said, and I saw your behaviour was changing. When I came to you earlier, that was my intention. To tell you. I was worried. Based off my predictions your behaviour was changing so radically it could potentially be the sign of a self destructive spiral. So after I weighed the options I decided that ensuring your well being was more important than continuing the study. And then you interrupted me and suggested instead we work together and I thought… if we spent time together, alone, it would help… Is that wrong? Should I have not done that?”

 

Suddenly, Catra felt the knot in her stomach once again as Entrapta practically cowered. It felt justified for just an instant as it began to clench down hard on her gut, but when she realized it was also very quickly smothering the anger in her throat and replacing it with dread, she panicked. 

It wasn’t anger. She was angry, sure, but it was a very sudden desperate anger at herself for not understanding what was happening. It was not, however, the source of the knot beginning to weave through her ribs like a creeping vine wrapping around her heart.

And the longer she sat there, looking dumbfounded at the shrunken form of the princess, the tighter it got. She wanted to be offended. Another princess stepping into her life to try and fix it. To set it right like she couldn’t do that herself. But when she thought about, the way she was willing to gut her own experiment to make sure she was well and how tiny she looked after her response?

All she could feel was the tumorous pain grow.

 

The need to flee from Entrapta consumed her entirely, but this time she didn’t know why.

“Look. Listen. Just. Leave me alone. Do your experiments. Build the base. But don’t. Just… Don’t ever. Try to fix me. I don’t need to be fixed. And I don’t need anyone’s help.”

It HAD to be anger. It had to be anger. She didn’t need anyone’s pity or help. So it couldn’t be anything else.

Except she knew it wasn’t.

 

Through the grates and back into the halls Catra found herself unfollowed and very much alone as she hurried towards her personal quarters trying her best to shake the sensation that had slithered all the way from her core to squeeze at her throat.

 

It nearly choked her when the thought crossed her mind.

_ I fucked up. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've ever pulled on a cats tail as a kid, you quickly learn that when they give you the sign they want to be left alone you leave them alone.
> 
> I still have scars.


	5. Arthropods Can Hug You Four Times at Once

Scorpia patrolled the hallways anxiously. It was well past lights out, and everyone should have been in their bunks long ago but she knew something was wrong when she went to check on both of her best friends and found neither in their usual spots.

 

Which, ironically, wasn’t actually in bed for either of them. She knew well enough by now that both of them were nightowls. Catra would usually be lurking around. Back in the Fright Zone it was usually to go steal rations or find a spot to think but since coming out to the Woods she seemed pretty aimless in what she did. Like she was bored of all the usual routines. As for Entrapta, she was always in her “secret” lab. It wasn’t exactly secret, but it wasn’t easy to get to if you didn’t know about it either. That’s where she had all her personal projects going, and a small corner dedicated for sleeping.

But neither of them were where they usually were, and after the scene in the showers she desperately wanted to make sure they were alright. Some nasty stuff had been said and well, she knew Catra’s ego bruised easy.

 

Her concern only grew worse as the time ticked on and she couldn’t find them. Not outside. Not in any of the vents she could fit in. Not anywhere. It was after her third lap out in the courtyard that she decided to take to waiting by Catra’s door, pacing back and forth and checking inside every few minutes half expecting to find them crawling out of the vents inside. 

“Oh come on...where are you guys…” she muttered to herself, head stuck past the door frame, scoping out the rather plain scene within when a voice chimed behind her.

 

“What are you doing.”

 

Scorpia practically leapt out of her boots and spun on the spot to find a haggard looking Catra standing in the dimly lit hallway. Her fur was pulled in wild angles and matted in places, a little bit of oil and ash found their way onto her clothes, and worst of all it looked like she had scraped both of her knees. Was that blood she saw?

“Oh my gosh, Catra! I was so worried. Are you okay? You look terrible, do I need to get the first aid kit? Did you fall into one of Entrapta’s traps? Were you in the showers earlier? Not to say anything happened in there. Just curious.”

Catra simply responded by holding a hand face out towards her and then pulling a single finger to her lips- never breaking eye contact in the process.

And without another word she moved around her, and entered her room to the sound of a slamming door and clicking lock.

Scorpia watched a moment before knocking and trying the control panel. It beeped in protest.

“So uh. Just going to call it a night huh? That’s okay. A good night's sleep is important. I’ll uh… I’ll get going then. Oh! Before I go, do you uh. Know where Entrapta is? I just want to make sure she’s in bed before it gets too late. You know how she gets, working all night on those passion projects!” 

Silence was the only response as she tried the panel again.

“... okay then, I guess you must have been REAL tired! I’ll just let you get some rest.”

 

It didn’t feel good stepping away, but outside of knocking the door down and making sure her friend was alright there wasn’t much left to do. With a sigh and kick she continued her search, taking at least some solace in knowing where one of the Best Pal Trio was.

Unfortunately, it was not a comfort she got to enjoy for too long.

 

An hour had passed. She wandered aimlessly around the facility without even a sign of Entrapta. No distant ramblings into her recorder or muffled explosions from the distance. Nothing. Panic was starting to work it’s way into the back of Scorpia’s skull as the worst case scenarios began to play in her mind.

After all, Catra looked like she’d been in a fight. What if something worse had happened to Entrapta? She was quick and smart but so small and fragile. She didn’t have any claws or natural armor or anything, what if something found her? What if she was stuck? What was that noise?

Scorpia paused, noticing only just then she had begun furiously power-walking. In the process she nearly missed the soft distorted noise echoing around the metal vents. It was distant now, but still audible and just down the hall she had come from. So with her ear turned up, she slowly started backtracking.

It wasn’t one of the normal sounds you heard in the vents. Not a recording, explosion, or welding torch, but something softer. More natural, coming and going between hisses and clicks. It wasn’t until she was upon an access point did she recognize the sounds of echoing sobs.

 

“...Entrapta?” 

 

There was a sudden silence, moments ticking by before a voice that was clearly Entrapta managed a weak.“No?”

“Ah-huh… Well, mystery vent voice. Do me a favor and let me know if you see Entrapta, because a certain Force Captain was pretty worried when she didn’t show up to debrief her about all the exciting things that happened during her day.” Scorpia smiled softly, sticking her head as far into the vents before her shoulders denied her from going further. It only took a glance both ways to spot the hunched form of her friend huddled in the vents. Mask down, knees hugged tightly to her chest and hair spiraled around her like a half done cocoon.

“Hey, T. You okay? I saw Catra earlier and it looked like she got into some trouble with your traps, everything alright?”

The masked figure shook her head before burying her faceplate into her knees.

Scorpia reflexively tried to reach for her, pressing forward with little regard to the fact that the metal whined under the strain of her form trying to squeeze into the tiny tunnel.    
“Woah woah, hey. Entrapta, what’s wrong? Just… give me a second and I’ll be there I just…” She pulled herself free and tried going claw first, then head, only to get stuck once more in a significantly less comfortable position. 

“You’re gonna have to help me out here T. I uh. I can’t really…”

 

“Catra hates me.” Entrapta croaked, still hiding her face behind as many layers as she could. 

 

“Woah, what? Catra does NOT hate you, what are you talking about? Hey…” her claw patted the wall as supportively as a claw scraping against metal could. “Look at me T. Catra does not hate you, we’re the Super Pal Trio!” 

She adamantly shook her head and squeezed tighter into a ball.

Urgency suddenly struck Scorpia, pressing with all of her might in an effort to get to the tiny huddled form of her friend and finding that- while the metal buckled and bent under it- she wasn’t making any progress.    
“Listen. Just stay there for...two...seconds…” she grunted. It took some doing, but she managed free herself from now warped confines and vanished from Entrapta’s sight, whose only response was to begin softly gasping. And then very loudly gasping when a claw punctured through the floor just to her side a moment later. And then another as the second claw joined in. Metal went from creaking to screeching, only partially muffling the sounds of the considerable effort the Force captain put into tearing the vent apart. 

The princess scampered back as the hole widened under the might of the bright red claws, until a generous portion of the air duct was properly gutted and rolled in on itself like the lid of a sardine can. And, once more, Scorpia’s face entered the ducts, smiling gently. 

“So. From the top. Catra does not hate you, trust me I’d know. We’re as thick as thieves. Why would you even think that?” A claw took advantage of the wide open space, reaching to settle on Entrapta’s knees. She made no move to break away, nor did she offer any response, simply sitting there looking away from her fellow princess.

“Hey.” Scorpia’s voice was a tender thing, for all the volume she put into it. The caring tone and concern were impossible to misplace. “Come on. I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s happening.”

 

That did it. Entrapta glancing down at her, if only a moment, before slowly relenting some of her defenses. “... is that how it works?” She sniffled. “You have to wait for someone to ask first?”

“Ah… what?”

“I thought- I thought I was helping. I thought I was being a good friend. There was danger, I intervened.” A warble in her voice gave way to a choke as she slammed her face back into her knees. “But I don’t know what I did wrong! Are you supposed to ask to assist before doing it?”

Scorpia blinked. Confused, yes, but more importantly overtaken with a gut wrenching concern. She didn’t understand what was happening. Something had happened, and things were still clearly happening, and she understood none of it save for one thing:

They were bad.

 

“Well.” She began, slithering her other claw into the vent to flank Entrapta and slowly coming to encircle around her. “Sometimes it’s best to ask. Yeah. But you know, sometimes you just have to do the thing? Like this.”

The demonstration continued as she extracted her friend, pulling her close to the edge until she could get an arm under her legs and one to her back, pulling her down against her chest. Thankfully, Entrapta offered little in the way of disagreement with the new arrangement outside of continuing to avoid looking at the woman holding her. 

“See? Isn’t this better?”

There was no verbal reply, but no complaint either. A win in Scorpia’s book.

“Although maybe I’m not the best person to talk about boundaries, I am a hugger after all!” The unwavering positivity in Scorpia’s entire being was a blunt instrument, and it’s repeated application was starting to crack Entrapta’s shell. Or, at least she was pretty sure it was. “I think a good hug can solve just about anything. And you know what? Not everyone agrees! Some people need help in different ways, I guess. But I’ll stick to hugs.”

Entrapta unwound her hair from around herself and began to open, even if it was a little, as she set her head against Scorpia’s thick pectoral. 

“Physical contact with another individual in a personal manner can release dopamine… I guess…” she sniffed, still holding onto one of her pigtails. “But. What if your hug doesn’t help? What if it hurts someone?”

 

“Hmmm…” Scorpia didn’t need to ponder it that much, actually. She swayed from side to side, humming and hawing in an obvious display of faux thought but the fact was it had only been a few weeks since the last time that exact scenario unfolded. “Well. All you can do then is apologize and make sure the next time you’re more careful! Most people will tell you what they didn’t like. Trust me. I have hugged a LOT of people.”

A chuckle rocked the princess whose glassy visor remained on Scorpia’s face. A long moment passed before the mask peeled back revealing her face. Damp cheeks radiated heat, and puffy red eyes searched for the words she was looking for in the air above them.

“What if... What if they tell you to just leave? That they don’t …” The noise that got caught in her throat was painful, staggering her before she could even find her voice again. And when she did it was that much raspier.  “That they don’t want you around?”

Scorpia paused. Over the time she’d known Catra, she had gotten to know she liked her space- although that rarely stopped the occasional celebratory, emotional, or sometimes no-good-reason hug from going unchastized. But as much as she griped, she had never told her something like that. To push away that hard was harsh and reserved for a certain traitor- and even then it was no secret those two clung to one another any chance they got.

Maybe it was the new setting, or maybe it was the nonsense in the locker room, but if something like that did happen there had to be a reason.

“Woah. Hey. Hold on… “ Brow furrowed, she began to start walking without really considering where she was going with the princess still cradled in her arms. Movement just helped her think sometimes. “That doesn’t sound like something she’d say. Of course we want you around! You’re the brains of the Super Pal Trio! A cornerstone! And what would we do without that big ol’ smile you get when you figure out something real smart? Or that enthusiasm! Oh, that enthusiasm.”

It was clear the point got lost in the need to comfort, but they go their eventually- and better for it as Entrapta rested her head back down and relented some of the tension in her form.   
“You’ve been part of the crew for a couple weeks now. So you don’t really know her like I do, but trust me when I say that Catra? She’s a big softie. Always with the pushing and shoving but you know what I think? I think she likes it. Or maybe she doesn’t, but you know what I do know?”

“...what?” Engagement. They were making progress.

“I know for a fact Catra does not hate you. And you know what I don’t know?”

“... I’m going to forgo answering that and let you finish.” A smile threatened to work it’s way to the edges of Entrapta’s face, still damp and flush in the cheeks. 

“Oh? Oh?! Was that a joke! I guess you’re right. I could fill a book with the things I don’t know!” Scorpia bellowed another chuckle, echoing off the metal walls as she continued to wander aimlessly, and Entrapta decided not to let her know it was not in fact a joke. “And chapter one would be I don’t know where this is coming from, but Catra would never go saying something like she doesn’t want you around. You’re one of her best friends!”

 

“But she did…!” A crack split her voice with it’s sudden intensity. Even her body lurched a little as she tried sitting up as much as the arrangement would allow. “I tried to help her and she told me she didn’t need it. And she got mad. She got… she got real mad… and I don’t know what I did wrong…” 

 

Scorpia’s face twisted again as she found herself struggling to believe it. Catra was more the brooding type if she really was angry. Most of the times she couldn’t even tell when she was mad when it came to the big things. Or at least the things worth being nasty about.

“Well… alright T. How about this. It sounds like I need to hear the whole story ‘cause I’m having trouble seeing this happen, but more importantly it sounds like you need some T.L.C.- stat. So why don’t we head back to your room and you can bunk up for the night? I can make some cocoa or tea or whatever! The vending machine really knows how to boil water just right.”

She waited for a response, but it seemed Entrapta couldn’t muster the strength to argue. Instead she simply nodded.

The two immediately changed course to begin their jaunt over to Entrapta’s official room. And thanks to the compact layout of the barracks, it was a short walk and a quiet one. Not much was said save the occasional remark from the Force Captain, but it wasn’t unpleasant as the slowly opening princess found herself instinctively wrapping limb and hair alike in a loose embrace around Scorpia’s neck.

She almost looked comfortable by the time they reached her room.

 

Unlike Entrapta’s secret lair which wasn’t so much a secret as it was inconvenient to get to, her room was pristine. Untouched, even. Plastic wrap still clung to an unused mattress with neatly folded and stacked linens sitting on top. The floor was devoid of clutter, the walls barren save an intercom and digital clock displaying the late hour.

It was clear that while it belonged to her, it may as well have just been an extra storage closet.

No her preference was to be close to her work, and while the standard called every officer have their own room it was clear she was as interested in the title as she was the room itself.

She was still Entrapta the princess, at the end of the day. She’d never be like one of the soldiers who ate, drank, and breathed the caused. It just so happened her lifestyle worked better in a Horde setting.

However it presented an issue for them at that exact moment.

 

Scorpia didn’t know where to put Entrapta without the bed set up, but she had to put her somewhere to set up the bed. And she would be damned if she was going to untangle the little thing from her now if it there wasn’t somewhere as warm and soft as her chest to put her. So the attempts to do both began.

And failed.

Immediately.

Her tail punctured the plastic cover successfully but it also managed to jam straight into the mattress itself. She tried kicking the sheets into place and tucking them in with the tip of her boots but that mainly ended with turning the folded stack into a splayed out mess. And the efforts to put the pillow in the case were best left unmentioned.

Entrapta chimed softly that she could assist here and there, but every time Scorpia assured her it was all under control until it clearly wasn’t.

“Alright T. Uh. This is one of those times where maybe I could use some of that there magic hair of yours to straighten this up.” She smiled sheepishly down at the princess, only to blink in surprise.

Somewhere between assaulting the sheets and maiming the upholstery, her companion in arms (literally) had fallen into a peaceful slumber. 

 

“Ahhh… tuckered yourself out didn’t you? That’s alright…” Scorpia whispered, carefully navigating onto the bed until her back was up against the wall. Entrapta remained in her arms and off the mess of a mattress, curled into a ball as she was swaddled in the warm strong embrace of her companion. 

Scorpia made sure to keep her hard shell from getting anywhere that might end in accidental scraping in the night as she settled in and even managed to pull a blanket up onto her lap to cover herself and Entrapta.

With a quiet content sigh, she glanced to the door as if half expecting someone to be there before risking a quick peck on the princess’ forehead.

“We can talk about in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY MOLY. I rewrote the last two chapters maybe 4 times trying to get it right. And I really wanted to get a little bit of tenderness mixed back in after introducing some conflict and hurt. So, hopefully ya'll dig it!


	6. Cold Dreams and Hot Showers

Shadows consumed the room like a thick volcanic haze, churning violently and flashing crimson from the Black Garnet’s exceptional power. The living void crept in every direction, consuming every facet of the room and at its center Shadow Weaver stood. The eye of a terrible storm and it’s conductor, living up to her namesake as smokey tendrils extended and retracted at the eb and flow of her fingers, directing malicious spikes of energy with deadly accuracy over and over in an effort to pin down a seemingly untouchable opponent.

“That’s right, run! It’s the only thing you’ve ever been good at…” Her voice pierced through the roar of her power, wielded with just as much precision and lethality as any weapon. “You’ve always been a disappointment to me. You’ve learned NOTHING from me!”

The words alone would have been enough to freeze a younger Catra, the scared little girl hanging onto an ungrateful brat because her life literally depended on it. Just the cut of the words would go deep enough to stagger her.

But not now. Not anymore. And especially not this moment.

“No.” Catra barked back in defiance, weaving around tendril of black and red “I’ve learned everything from you. How to predict when you’ll strike, how to dodge, how to _resist_.”

The feline grace kept her unhindered, moving until she could find just the right angle.  
“You thought you were punishing me all these years?”

Every maneuver empowered her, each moment left untouched by the woman who had controlled every minute of every day filling her with a boldness she never could have imagined. For the first time in her life the they were finally on equal footing. Catra finally had her chance to show her how she was wrong. That all these years she underestimated her, because all she needed was a chance. One moment. One second to wrestle her destiny from the hands of others. And that’s exactly what she got.

“Wrong!”

Her voice rung out, cutting through the noise and chaos as she rose above it, airborne and towering over Shadow Weaver- the perfect vantage point to drink in the shock and fear in those veiled eyes.

“You’ve been training me for this day!”

She pounced, swiping with all the strength she could muster in one precise blow meant to shred the most precious thing her tormentor had; her magic.

It was a victory Catra had prayed for, imagined at any opportunity she could. The sweetest relief to years of torture and torment culminating in one definitive moment. One act of resistance that filled her to the brim with a font of satisfaction and pride.

This moment was hers. It was her declaration to the world that no longer was her life in the hands of others. It belonged to her, and her alone.

 

But when the tip of her claws met mask, she found no resistance. Her body hit the floor in a tumble, rolling across hard metal and coming to a stop when she impacted the wall. Catra wasted no time to spring back up to see what had happened but instead finding a curtain of nothing, harboring only the faintest of shapes that bent and twisted in impossible ways and yet were all somehow immediately identifiable as human. All distorted and writhing, grasping for Catra with needle like claws and watching her every move with hollow eyes.

Terror began to grip her as she whipped from side to side, piercing into the dark in an effort to find her quarry and rebuttal to no avail. All that pride and confidence turned to ash in her mouth and a familiar fear for her old mentor reinvigorated deep in her soul. She tried to look but all she could see was the darkness. She tried to feel out but felt nothing but a cold shiver. Tried to hear but could only listen to the sound of her own beat pounding so violently in her skull.

And then she heard something that sent a shudder from the tip of her tail to her teeth. A soft, patronizing laugh.

“Perhaps you’re right, Catra.” Shadow Weaver’s voice was omnipresent, coming from every direction in the endless dark, the shift in it’s tone so jarring and unexpected. So smug. So familiar. “Perhaps you are right… perhaps I did a better job than either of us could have anticipated. Perhaps I did make you strong.”

Catra continued to hunt, looking for any sign for her tormentor, knowing too well from experience how this game went.

Shadow Weaver liked to play with her food.

“Although. I should have known, shouldn’t I? Running isn’t your only strength. Stabbing those close to you in the back is a talent you truly have been sharpening of late, isn’t it? So much betrayal. So much guile.”

 

The haze began to part and Catra whipped around for an attack only to find herself overlooking a chasm.  
“Catra!”

Her veins froze.

“Catra please! Don’t do this!”

Below her, within arms reach, hung Adora. Desperate. Pleading. _Begging_ , not for her life but forgiveness. For understanding.

Before she could do more than twitch she watched tear filled eyes stare back at her in terror before slipping away into the nothing below, hitting a tangible blackness that erupted back up as though it were water being strike by a stone. In a wave it washed back over her, and this time she was painfully aware of the grasping hands of a countless number things crashing down on her and enwrapping her back in blackness.

 

Her heart was throbbing. Catra wasn’t sure if she was bound by magic or if just the sheer terror of the impending consequences for her betrayal had struck her paralyzed, but the best she could do was frantically whip her head around and scream against the storm.

“Am I supposed to feel bad?! She’s a princess and a rebel! She des-”

“Don’t be shy now, Catra. She is a princess and a rebel, yes, but she was so much more than that to you. Adora was your best friend. Your only friend. One of the few people in your life who was foolish enough to trust you. To deny that would undermine your true victory against her.” The voice suddenly consolidated into a single direction, just over Catra’s shoulder now.

“You took advantage of her weakness. Her love for you. Her foolish belief that one day she might drag you back into her shadow. To think that one day you might curl up at the foot of her bed like a faithful pet. You used it and punished her for it.”

Strength suddenly filled her limbs again, but not the same strength born from when the battled on even ground. It was fear. Fight or flight reflexes taking her body and forcing her to turn and swipe at the sound only to part the darkness once again and see the rippling muscles and flowing hair of She-ra.  She blinked into the scene just in time to watch as she staggered forward and fell to a knee, back streaked with a lashings worth of claw marks and on full display for Catra to see her work. Damage that would never heal. In the distance Bright moon crumbled beneath a volley of flashes, the helpless princess only able to look on as Horde banners seemingly manifested across the ruins. And for some reason as Catra watched along, she felt a shuddering breath pull into her lung and immediate tension in her chest, the same sensation she always felt when she let impulse drive her into a mistake.

More damage that could never be healed.

“I am truly impressed Catra. You have learned from me in ways I could have only hoped.”

The scene suddenly shifted as the world grew dark again and the scarlet cape of the princess found itself without its owner. It drifted down gently and draped over a form far tinier than the figure it had hung from only moments ago.

“I can only imagine the satisfaction…” Shadow Weaver continued from the nothing. “I can only imagine how sweet it must be, that revenge. After all that time you wasted trying to be the one to steal her from the Horde- from her destiny- only to be cast aside for a sword? The satisfaction you must feel in the amount of pain Adora suffered at your hands… her precious little childhood friend condemning her over and over, and knowing that is all her fault. Not even I could orchestrate such devastation.”

“Catra?”

Her tail stiffened, ears pinning back and eyes shutting. She didn’t need to see the cape fall away to know the squeak of a young Adora, so soft and sweet. And she didn’t dare open them.  
“Catra, please, tell me what’s wrong? Are you mad at me?” Hands clamped down over flattened ears and teeth gritted. “What did I do Catra? Please…” the voice cracked, beginning to devolve into a worried sob. “Please, why would you hurt me? What did I do?”

“SHUT UP!” She shrieked, trying to turn away in futility as the echoing sounds of crying came from every direction and the faintest sensation of a tug on her should grew more and more tenacious. “You left me!”

Her form heaved from hard choking breaths, labboring to fill her lungs before she loosed a sound more befitting an animal caught in a trap.

“You left ME!”

And suddenly, it all stopped. Catra kept herself as muted to the world as long as she could. Blinded and deafened just long enough to recover. Just long enough to steele herself against whatever was coming. It was the only control she had. Knowing what came next. And there in the void she found herself prostrate before Shadow Weaver herself.

Desperation took her as she used whatever strength and fury left in her to assail the woman, swiping in feral arcs and lunging with whatever might her legs could still lend her. But it was never enough. Shadow Weaver glided away harmlessly.

“I have taught you more than even you realize. To be merciless, to cut away those who tie you down when you need to be strong. I have taught you to lie. I have taught you to manipulate. To exploit the hearts of others.”

Once more claws swung through the nothingness at a retreating enemy to find nothing. Over and over and over until she realized through the blur of tears that she was once again alone and fighting air.

“You learned how to cull the weak. To rule with fear. To be just like me when it mattered.”

Her fingertips stung from the force of each aimless blow, panic her sole drive as she caught the glimpse of a shape in the shadows. Over and over, she struck at shadows in hopes something would happen. Chasing each little hint of a threat as mania overtook her. She didn’t hesitate to follow through even as she swung at nothing, yowling at the voice and unleashing a frenzy of strikes until one cut through the darkness itself.

Like a hanging cloth suddenly dropping, it all fell away and to her horror she saw the results of her rage.

The frozen form of Entrapta, still held in a crimson bondage and only able to look at Catra in shock. A quartet of claw marks across her throat. Catra stammered, reaching out as she tried desperately to find a way to undo it. To fix the mistake but she could do nothing but watch as the wounds grew. They weren't not grotesque, not like the gift she left for Adora, but instead a sudden lack of anything, as though part of Entrapta had just been erased from existence in four strokes. And slowly that nothing spread. Edges of the princess crumpled and broke away into smokey tendrils, eating outward from the blow until only the lingering wisps of lilac hung around a horrified Catra.

A soft condescending chuckle filled the room again as Shadow Weaver seemingly materialized from the nothing, scooping up Catra’s chin in her spindly fingers and examining a tear streaked face, eyes glazed over and body shuddering beneath her withering gaze.

All the little feline could do was watch, waiting. Anticipating her mentors final blow. Her final retribution for the ultimate disobedience, only to find instead a gentle caress and laugh as bitter as spoiled rations.

“I’ve never been prouder.”

 

Catra bolted upright as she suddenly found herself in her bedroom. It was quiet and dark, but she was alone. No Shadow Weaver. No Adora. No Entrapta. Just her and the shredded, sweat-stained bedding all around her.

Another nightmare. One that made her wish for the idle fancies of a bleeding heart, and one that put every other nightmare she had when her abuser was still free to shame. Never in her life had a dream filled her with such terror, leaving the fur on the entirety of her form bristled and standing on edge even as she struggled with the maelstrom of emotions. Shadow Weaver haunted her sleep almost as much as she did her life, but even in her youth they never struck her quite so hard. But, of course, back then she also had someone to make sure she knew it was all a dream. That it’d all be okay.  
To promise it’d be okay.

Instead all she could do was grasp at her temples and wait for it to all go away. Her lungs burned from deep breaths and it was only as hands dragged across her face did she realize her cheeks had grown damp.

“It’s okay…” she rasped to herself. “It’s going to be okay. You’re okay. You’re stronger than her. You’re stronger than this. It’s okay. You’re okay…”

Over and over she repeated it to herself like a mantra until all she could feel was the comforting numbness that came after hysteria. It wasn’t better, or worse. It was just nothing, and as she wiped tears from her flush face Catra found her content with nothing.

Numb. Cold. It wasn’t how she envisioned her preferred state of being but it was better to the alternative.

Minutes passed in silence as she just sat there, slouched forward and slowly attempting to bring herself to move and never managing more than limply moving her arm or adjusting her position.

So minutes ticked into and hour and then into something indefinable and Catra finally found the energy to rise to her feet. They carried her aimlessly around the room, first to a dresser through which she attempted to sort before abandoning it unclosed. And then to a sink and mirror in the corner, splashing water on her face and staring at her own face. It looked unimpressed with what it saw.

And finally to the door.

Then her feet ceased to find amusement in the process and simply left her there with her hand hovering over the control panel.

A claw tapped the button, as if testing it were real. She could just go, be on her way and start the day- whatever time it was. Maybe even take a shower. But every time she tried to press down she found herself unable. Not stopped by any mechanical or physical means. Simply unable to muster the force and drop her hand down.

It was quickly becoming a repeat of her bedridden time blur, but fortunately something snapped her out of it.

The door banged. Or rather, the metal of the door banged as something wrapped on it from the other side making Catra nearly jump out of her skin.

“Catra? You in there?”

“... Scorpia?” she stared at the door as if trying to look through it. “Have you been waiting out there all night? Did you just hear me start moving around and started trying to get back in?!”

“What! No, that’s crazy!” There was a pause. “Unless you needed me to. Did you need me to? Did something else happen? Did you have a nightmare? Do you need to lay your head down in my lap and tell me about your nightmare?”

Catra actively chose to open the door just so Scorpia could see her roll her eyes with every intent to close it again, and only managed to wince and hiss as light suddenly filled the unlit room.

Even with Scorpia’s hulking form blocking out most of the ambient light, it still stung.

 

“Woah, are you alright? You look even worse than last night…” Claws moved in to reach for her, but Catra was quick to retract out of the light and back into the dark room. It was only then she realized she was still in the singed and stained fatigues from the day before,  a less than flattering look only enhanced by the tattered downing.

“I’m fine. What do you want?”

The Force Captain twisted her mouth a moment before taking a step past the threshold, trying to make out the scene with whatever light managed to flood in from the hallway.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay. I talked to Entrapta last night and uh... It sounds like some things happened.”

Catra winced as the weight returned to her stomach once more at just the thought of what happened, heavy enough to feel even through the lingering numbness.

“Yeah. I guess you could say that.”

“And then we talked again this morning and I uh. Guess I wanted to come over and see what happened. She said some things and honestly it just didn’t really sound like you.” Scorpia grew bolder, stepping deeper into her chambers as all Catra could do was stand aside in the dark corner and watch her take it in.

“She kept saying that she thinks you hate her now?”

 _Oof_.

It felt like a punch, leaving her momentarily staggered but otherwise silent.

“It was crazy. I found her crying in the vents-” Another blow. “- saying all this crazy stuff. I tried to get her to tell me more all night but she just kept talking about how guilty she felt and how she didn’t understand what she did wrong-” And another. “-and she said something like you didn’t need her?”

"I don’t.” Catra snapped reflexively, only to feel the tension in her core tighten when Scorpia turned her shock onto her. “Look. I just… need some space right now Scorpia. I just need to be alone. I’m sore, I didn’t sleep well, and frankly I’m still upset.”

She failed to muster up a look that was more than annoyed.

“Hey. Okay. Hold on now. What do you mean you don’t need Entrapta? You actually said that to her?”

“It means I don’t need any princesses-” She jabbed a claw into Scorpia’s chest. “-butting into my life and trying to make me their pity projects, alright? She crossed a line, I said one thing and she didn’t listen. And if it means everyone around here starts learning some boundaries? Some respect for the boss? Then maybe it’s worth a few hurt feelings.”

Scorpia balked. “What are you talking about? We all respect you! You should have seen Kyle last night. He-”

“I saw. I saw everything. I know what they really think about me and I know you and that twerp think I need your pity too. I don’t, alright? So next time just leave my fights to me.”

Catra’s tail flicked, gaze narrowing to a glare as exhaustion and pain cracked through her crumbling guise of coolness.

“I am so tired of this Scorpia. I am so tired of being treated like I’m still some pathetic little cadet. Shadow Weaver is in a cell rotting away because of me. Brightmoon is vulnerable because of me. The Horde is stronger than ever because of me, and I am so tired of people thinking they can still just disrespect me. I did all of that. That was me, and I don’t need anyone getting in my way when I tell them to step aside. Understand?”

Shoulders rose and fell with each heavy breath, an accusing finger still jabbing at the force captain who looked on in absolute confusion.

“No…?” she responded in earnest.

“UGHHHH.” Catra whipped around, arms thrown up in the arm in dramatic exacerbation. “What is there not to get! I don’t need anyone. I want to be alone. The end!”

“I… what are you talking about? You don’t need anyone? You don’t need me?”

“I-...” Catra froze when she looked back. Scorpia was looking right at her. And for the first time since they sat planning for the Princess Ball, she saw the pained expression of rejection on her face. Except this time, she realized it was her own doing and no one else.

The blow nearly knocked the air out of her lungs.

She swallowed and continued, trying not to crack.

“Just go. Make sure Entrapta’s alright and just leave me alone, I need to get to work soon.”

The force Captain Made a move to reach for her again, and as before she flinched away and averted her gaze.

“Go. Make sure Entrapta’s alright. That’s an order.”

Silence overtook the two of them for a long moment as Scorpia found herself struggling, fighting the urge to reach out for Catra again and the need to snap to attention at the the order of  superior officer. But eventually, the latter won out.

“Yes, Catra.” She offered with a defeated tone and lackluster salute.

 

Catra remained still, only watching as her friend- her subordinate? Only watching as Scorpia skuled away, rubbing her head in confusion. And for a moment, just an instant, she swore she could hear that sickening laugh echo from the darkest corners of the room.

“... what am I doing?” She muttered to herself, setting a palm on her face as if to brush away the sting in her bloodshot eyes. Again, she repeated herself as she found the empty doorway incentive enough to begin her jaunt. She was miserable, exhausted, and the starting to come to terms with the fact that her intestine would just always feel like a stone was lodged in it. She couldn’t have a good night rest. She couldn’t talk to the people around her without it causing physical pain. She couldn’t even do nothing without being stalked by memories, but she would be damned if she couldn’t at least have a nice, long, warm shower.

If she had to suffer her own company, she was going to do it in comfort at least.

And she’d be damned if she cared who saw her stalk through the halls stained, bruised, and matted, although she had the good fortune of not coming across anyone who cared either way as she made her way into the showers.

 

It was a familiar scene, although still managing to be a new experience actually walking into the tiled locker-room instead of staring down at it. She didn’t bother inspecting with more than a cursory glance, both confident that no one would be hitting the showers if Scorpia was still on duty and in fatigues and also just unconcerned with being seen. Feathers fell from her hair as she shrugged off her uniform and tossed it aside in a pile. Her padded fingertips stroked over the tufts of hair flatted from being trapped under the tight fitting clothes, coaxing it to rest naturally and free in the cool air. She also paused to consider a bruise barely visible through the thin layer of fur on her sternum. The gentlest touch reminded her just where she got it, remembering the sudden hard stop before the flame jets the night before smashing her to the ground.

A growl rumbled in her throat as she caught herself poking at it, absently applying harder and harder pressure before she took control again and began to strut towards the showers.

“Alright you miserable fuzzball. The least you can do is look good if you’re going to feel like shit…” she rumbled to herself, doing the best she could to muster an ounce of excitement for an hour long shower. And she almost sparked it, just almost, only to round the corner to find herself face to face with someone who looked just as confused as she was to see someone else.

Lonnie, bucket in hand and filled with cleaning materials, canted her head to the side before making an obvious gesture of examining Catra from head to toe.  
“Just uh. Just gonna walk in here with all of that hanging out huh?”

 

Catra proceeded to punch her.

 

Catra then proceeded to reel back from the realization she just punched Lonnie. “WOAH. Woah. Woah, Lonnie! I… are you alright? I…”

“What the hell was that!” the cadet was quite literally floored, rubbing her jaw and staring in disbelief. Her cleaning supplies was scattered across the tiles, soaps seeping in between the grout.

“You surprised me, I just- what are you even doing in here, I thought I was alone!”

“Surprised you?!” Lonnie quickly pulled herself to her feet and jammed her face into Catra’s. “We made EYE contact. I said an entire thing to you! That’s one hell of a delayed surprise, Catra!”

“Look. Shut up. Alright, I’ve had a long night and I just-”

“You fight everyone you walked into on your way here or is looking like a stray just your new thing?”

Catra gritted her teeth and shoved Lonnie back, reclaiming some space only to fill it back in as both rushed forward to get in each others faces.

“You know what, Lonnie? Screw you, I’m not sorry. You had that coming for what you said last night and you’re lucky if that’s all you’re going to get off with.”

“Oh! OH!” She loosed a mock laugh. “Really? That’s rich coming from you! You have trash-talked more people behind their back than I can count, especially your superior officers!”

“That must be easy when you can’t count very high.”

“Okay. Alright, you can dish it out but you can’t take it, as always.” This time it was Lonnie who jammed her open palms into Catra’s chest, sending her staggering back. “Come on, big cat!”

Whatever momentary shock she felt for clocking Lonnie was gone entirely, and the only thing she could feel was all the frustration and aggravation from everything she’d suffered through suddenly finding a very appropriate target.

“You just shoved your superior officer, Cadet Lonnie! If I didn’t know better you were looking for some disciplinary action.” Her voice hissed through bared teeth.

“Really? You’re going to play that card? Just going to walk in here, hit me, and then when you’re about to get your tail kicked you’re going to go waving rank around?” Lonnie’s face twisted into a bitter scowl, wrinkles cutting deep into her features as her aggravations seemed to match Catra’s own.

“Yeah. Maybe I am. Maybe I’m going to kick your ass and watch you go back to mopping the hallways because I can. What do you think about that, Lonnie? Huh? Maybe you’ll remember I’m your superior officer and just generally better than you!”

 

Lonnie’s answer came by way of a charge, and promptly the scuffle began. It wasn’t the first time the two of them were in an empty room hurling insults and blows, but somewhere along the way both of them came to the conclusion independently that they’d had their last. At some point they each had reached a point they believed they were beyond it. They were proud members of the Horde, trained soldiers and hand picked by Lord Hordak himself for the most daring of missions. They should have been over petty fights.

And yet, there they were. Lockers rattling from the blows of bodies and aggravated shrieks and shouts coming from both of them as they fought to put the other in their place. Two professional warriors pulling hair and punching kidneys like a pair of toddlers swept up in a tantrum. They tumbled over benches, sent laundry sprawling across the tiles, and even managed to dent a metal basin sink as the fight went on and on.

To their credit, it was as clean a fight as a brawl could be. Claws stayed unsheathed and multiple opportunities to crack one another with an improvised weapon were passed, both of them opting for fists and knees and so many attempts to pin the other.

 

If anyone heard it, they had the common sense to not investigate.

 

And after a match that lasted longer than it had any business to, there was no way someone didn’t hear it as the two of them broke a grapple and each tripped backwards. Knees buckled and asses hit the floor and childhood adversaries glared across at one another, backs to the wall.

Catra may have started the fight naked and bruised but Lonnie was the one ending it that way. Of course, they were both exhausted and covered in fresh injuries, but Lonnie wore it much worse as she slumped against lockers, tattered uniform hanging loose to her form in places.

They heaved heavy breaths, bodies lurching up and down as they each tried to summon whatever they had left to strike the decisive blow but neither could find it. And so they sat until once more the post-hysteria numbness came to ease weary bodies and spirits.

 

“So…” Lonnie was the first to break the staring contest, practically spitting. “What happens next? PT? Solitary? What does the great and terrible Catra deem the appropriate punishment?”

“Shut up.” Catra’s head fell back, bouncing off the locker as she took to glaring at the ceiling.

“Yea. That’s what I thought…” she growled, pulling a knee to her chest.

 

Silence joined them for a moment, offering a long unheard monologue as the two women sat on the floor of a cold locker room. It prattled on and on, tempers slowly simmering down and a sense of ease coming with it’s ongoing soliquary. But as time passed, and the whispers of awkward silence became over welcomed, Catra finally managed to offer an addition to the conversation.

 

“Why do you hate me?”

Lonnie looked up at her, surprised at the sudden earnest tone.

“Tch ... come on, Catra. I don’t hate you. I hate _things_ about you, but I don’t hate you.”

“Alright, fine, what do you hate about me? Why have you always been on me about everything, huh? Why is it that after everything, you still think I’m a joke?” She bristled, trying to get back up but finding it entirely too much work, instead opting to remain on the floor staring daggers.

“Seriously? You seriously want to know?”

“Uh, yeah. Did I smack you deaf or something?”

“Alright. Fine. That right there? I hate that. Ever since we were kids you’d go out, pick a fight, and then go running to Adora like you were the victim. You never owned up when it was your fault. You never have! And you would do some shady stuff, Catra, and you always acted like you were in the right! And then, after Adora would tell Shadow Weaver or come looking to pick a fight, you’d act all high and mighty like you pulled one over. And like a bunch of idiots, we fell for it _every_ time.”

Something happened Catra didn’t expect, but hardly surprised her. The tension returned. The mystery sensation that seemed to belong to some manner of emotion she just couldn’t pin it on. Somewhere between getting out of bed and coming to the lockers, she’d given up on identifying it, but it didn’t change that she hated how it felt.

So for a moment she just sat in aggrivated silence, Lonnie taking the opportunity to continue.

“Also, like, I could ask you the same question. I tried so many times to be your friend and you always just pushed me away. You pushed everyone away. Everyone ‘cept Adora…” she paused, drumming her fingers on her knee. “Always Adora. You always had to stick to Adora. No one else. And look I get it. We all wanted to be Adora’s friend, but it was like if you couldn’t have her, you wouldn’t waste your time with anyone else. Like… what was up with that?”

“I had to.” Catra managed in a surprisingly calm tone that once more caught Lonnie off guard. “I had to be Adora’s friend. I mean. I wanted to be, but thinking back? I never had a choice.”

“What are you talking about?”

“... Shadow Weaver made it clear that, if Adora didn’t like me? If she didn’t want me around? If I ever threatened Adora’s great big special future? I was just a liability she’d get rid of if she had to. Ever since we were little, she made sure I knew that if it wasn’t for Adora?” She shrugged, too tired from the brief but terrible day to feel more than a ping of pain at the memory. “I was gone.”

 

Silence rejoined the conversation, offering it’s input on deaf ears before being rudely interrupted by a dumbfounded Lonnie.

“I knew the old lady was hard on you, but I had no idea Catra.”

“Oh. Oh Lonnie. Poor, sweet, dumb Lonnie. That woman terrorized me. All day and night, I was convinced she wanted me dead. No, actually, I know she wanted me dead. And you know, maybe I started out friends with Adora like a normal kid would be? But after a while my life depended on it. Literally. And no one seemed to notice or care. So you know what? Sorry if I hurt some feelings when I was busy trying to survive day to day.”

“... you know. I’m sorry. I never knew. Shadow Weaver was hard on all of us, but I never thought the witch had it in her to be that bad… but you know, Catra. That doesn’t make you, like, free to be as terrible as you want.”

 

“Excuse me?” Catra bristled. “I think it gives me a pretty good reason to do whatever I had to do to survive.”

 

“I’m not saying you didn’t have every right to fight tooth and nail to survive, Catra, but you know. You can be wronged and still be wrong, man. Like, the whole picking a fight thing, and then blaming it on others? That’s… that’s still on you. And you know, now that I know that maybe you were just trying to scare people aware from Adora or just trying to get some sympathy from Shadow Weaver, I can understand why. And I do… it’s just. That doesn’t make the wrong stuff you did to me less wrong, y’know?” Lonnie glanced at the floor and frowned, struggling with the words. “I don’t know. I’m trying to say I understand. And I am sorry, really, but you gotta acknowledge that you took some of that hurt and pain and you put it on others. And… that ain't really fair to others. You brought Shadow Weaver down on us, more than once, for no reason. That’s… I mean. That isn’t fair, is it?”

 

Catra sat there, struggling to look at Lonnie as she continued. It felt like the entirety of her form was being pulled into the floor, a crushing weight that had never laid so heavy on her than it did at that exact moment.

“Hey… listen. If it helps I know I wasn’t fair either. You know? You… we were all just a bunch of dumb kids. We said and did things that I’m kind of regretting right about now. And. You know… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all the times I hurt you growing up too.” She palmed her face and offered a tired smile over to Catra, the hint of concern in her features the most sincere thing she’d ever seen there. “ And I’m sorry about … this. All of this, y’know? The bad talk. The fight. Everything.”

Her reflex was to yell, to hit Lonnie for even implying she was owed an apology but exhaustion kept her from starting round two. Instead she found herself trapped in her head, hunting through years and years of surviving to throw something in Lonnie’s face. Catra did what she had to. She wasn’t going to apologize for that.

All her life, she was a survivor. She feared for her life day in and day out, justifiably so. A mad sorceress loomed over her shoulder and ensured she knew that any slip or mistake could be her last, and the only thing keeping her alive was one girl.

But as she reviewed a long career of being the underhanded heel struggling with her turmoils, trying to find peace in whatever she could under the discipline of an always unimpressed and perpetually wicked caretaker, the more the realization crept on her. Somewhere along the way, she accepted she’d always be the troublemaker. The fire starter. It was the label she was given and if she didn’t have a choice in what she was, she was going to own what she had.

And she never stopped to consider that in her drive for acceptance, for peace, the people she shoved out of the way might have been hurt. That she might have been the one who they dreaded seeing.

That she may have been the cause of their stress in an already stressful situation.

 

Until now.

 

It was a bitter pill, and part of her felt as if admitting it diminished her own struggles even if she knew it wasn’t true. But it was a truth still hurt for reasons beyond her understanding.

The more she dwelled on the thought of hurting others, the heavier the weight grew, until she found herself desperate to kill the tension in any way she could.  
“I guess…” she growled. “I guess so. I guess I’m… sorry. If I hurt you. Or Rog or Kyle…“

A sting bit at her throat she recognized as the need to cry, and a rush of lightheadedness hit her. She wanted to be petty about it, to shrug it off, but it hit hard. Perhaps it was the exhaustion or the physical pain. Maybe she was done trying to hide it.

Maybe she didn’t care anymore.

But as she yielded even that small concession she felt the sense of the menacing mystery emotion surrender just a little. A tiny bit of relief that brought with it a rush. Catra didn’t know why, but for just a moment she was free of an ailment she seemingly couldn’t understand or escape- so you bet she followed through in an effort for further relief.

 

“... I’m sorry if you thought I didn’t want to be your friend. And that I got you in trouble. And that I punched you.” It just suddenly began pouring from her, just letting the words flow on instinct.  
And I never meant for things to be like this. To be shitty. I just wanted to… I don’t know. Escape.”

“Yeah… well… thank you. And you know if you were trying to escape you didn’t do a very good job of it.” A smirk threatened Lonnie’s features but she seemed too exhausted emotionally and physically to follow through. “You’re pretty deep in it now, huh?”

“Yeah…” Catra grimaced, still revelling in silence for being spared the now escapable pain. “Well. Priorities change.”

“You sure about that?”

Her ear flicked and brow raised. “What are you trying to get at, Lonnie? Subtlety isn’t your strong suit.”

“Yeah well it ain’t really yours either.” The human sighed, shutting her eyes and loosing the tension in her bruised form. It was strange, but in all the years they’d been together Catra couldn’t remember a time she saw Lonnie let her guard down. If she wasn’t so tired she might have been able to piece together that Lonnie was only on guard around Catra.

“I guess what I mean is that, y’know, you’re still trying to escape something. It’s just, y’know. Maybe you’re not running from the same thing.”

 

Cautiously Catra sized Lonnie up and the pit made it’s return. What came next was obvious to her, and she prepared herself for the inevitable follow up. She knew it was coming. It was obvious, when she thought about it, but she couldn’t stand the thought of having to start talking about Adora.

 

“You and the princess- Entrapta? You got into a fight. S’why you look like shit and just rolled up in here looking for a fight, isn’t it? Cause you feel guilty.”

Catra stared in awe, mouth fallen agape. Sure, it wasn’t Adora, but an entirely new can of worms opened and spilled across the floor.

“Wh- Ho-...?”

“Scorpia was in here earlier. Wanted to make sure I was following through on cleaning duty and while she was brushin’ her teeth she just started… going.” The answer came before the question and a lazy hand raised, opening and closing. “Blah, blah, blah… girl doesn’t have a filter, you know that right?”

She hissed, ears pinning back as she looked towards the exit as if she was about find Scorpia there with notepad and megaphone, ready to relay her secrets to the world.

“I thought she’d at least know how to, I don’t know, not spread rumors about me. I’ll have to talk about this later… and I DON’T feel guilty. Sh-”

“You even know what guilt feels like Catra? Cause it seems to me like you just sincerely apologized for the first time in your life three minutes ago. And ‘fore that it looked like you wanted to deck me for even suggesting you might have caused people some strife.” Lonnie leveled an unimpressed stare at her, and Catra wilted just slightly.

“I… I mean tch. Yeah. Of course I do.”

“Explain to me what guilt feels like, Catra.”

Catra froze. She knew, objectively, what guilt was. And she was intimately familiar with regret, but she never actually stopped to process if and when she may have- just possibly- have had cause to feel guilty.

After all, when the worlds out to get you, what do you have to feel guilty about?

“Whatever, Lonnie. I’ll be sure to put a word in with the higher ups to get you considered for giving psych evaluations next report, since you’re such an expert of feelings suddenly.”

 

“Uh-huh.” Lonnie rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Guess you can’t change in the world- or a stubborn ass cat- in one day.” She groaned as she managed to find the strength and will to pull herself to her feet, making use of the lockers behind her in the process. A brief review of her tattered uniform ended with a sigh and sudden tear of fabric as her shirt was removed in on harsh tug.

“Well. Listen. I’m gonna go take a shower, and by the looks of it you could use one too.” A hand extended down to the feline, lingering just a moment before her own clapped into it and she was pulled on her feet. “Why don’t we go try doing that friend thing again over a bit of self care?”

“... yeah. Fine. Just don’t start with all the touchy feely stuff again.” She grumbled, happy to have the topic dropped.

“Hey. I know when to call it a quits on a lost cause.” Lonnie smirked as she side-eyed Catra, turning towards the showers and disrobing the rest of the way. “Besides. When you do finally feel guilty? I want to watch you try and start the touchy feely shit... “

The display of dismissal was grand. Rolling eyes, scoffing, throaty snorts. Catra pulled out all the stops to make sure Lonnie would see her dead before she saw her come crawling to her for advice, but both knew the truth.

Even as the two of them shared laughs both awkward and sincere under hot running water, Catra couldn’t shake it. How could she not? How could she not review every moment unidentifiable tentacles crawled up her spine and choked her windpipe? How many times did her instincts and impulse leave her standing over a bad situation while the back of her skull crawled? Or a squeeze on her heart that made her want to rip it out after speaking before thinking?

 

How the hell did she not know that was what guilt felt like?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man. These Catra chapters. I'm sincerely trying to do the character justice, and maybe biting off more than I can chew, but it's still fun.


	7. Jump

“It’s the forest.” Scorpia loudly declared, pacing frantically back and forth across the same portion of the lab since she had bursted in shortly after returning from her check-in on Catra and for a significant time since. Entrapta watched, elbow on a work-table and cheek resting in her palm, absent mindedly tinkering with an unfinished project while Scorpia continued with yet another outlandish hypothesis.

They had already debunked the cycle of the moon making her a were-human once a month, small men whispering to her in her sleep, and head-trauma.  
“It has to be the Whispering Woods! It’s magic you know, so it has to be affecting her. Maybe her keen feline senses are detecting ghosts. You know how some animals can see ghosts?”

The Princess of Dryl pondered a moment before the recorder was produced from one of her pockets.

“Note for future; Can animals see ghosts? Obtain local fauna and prove existence of afterlife to test later…”

“Ooh perfect! Once you prove that, we can start testing it on Catra, and then. Then.” Scorpia turned from side to side as if now sizing up unseen spies. “We learn how to fight the ghosts.”

“While I do find this hypothesis very exciting and look forward to proving ghosts exists, utilizing animals to detect them, and then inventing a means to wage an entirely unnecessary war against our ectoplasmic neighbors, I don’t think Catra’s…” Entrapta paused, hunting for a word in the tarnish of the table before her and finding it empty. She sighed.

“Scorpia. The simplest answer is usually the correct one. Catra isn’t the first person who has made it clear my behaviour is … difficult.”

Scorpia turned a sympathetic frown at her, but Entrapta found it unbearable to suddenly have eyes on her. The mask quickly came down and her gaze averted.

Part of her wanted to cry again, but after the night prior and the morning she’d had the exhaustion from it all made even the thought of further tears difficult. It was all so difficult. Catra’s behaviour had thrown her for a loop since they’d left the Fright Zone, but she never thought she’d ever find herself on the receiving end of her fury. She’d always been so kind to her. So tender with soft words that flowed slow and sweet like honey. All the little touches and taps, claws in the hair and padded fingertips touching her face in ways she didn’t understand but found herself enjoying immensely. And never, ever did she lose her temper. She was short sometimes, but she was always patient. Always waiting for an explanation.

Well. Up until now.

 

Entrapta knew that something was wrong, it’s why she intervened in the first place and abandoned her research. She wanted to make Catra better. Make her happier. But still she struggled to understand what she did to make it worse instead, trying to grasp what unknown social boundaries she’d managed to cross this time that would make someone so kind and caring suddenly so bitter.

And as the answer alluded her she resigned herself to do as Catra said and focus instead on her work.

“Even if her behaviour is being changed by an outside factor, I’ve involved myself in the study and upset the balance. It’s been compromised…” She sighed, hanging her head and finding comfort in hugging a pigtail to her chest.

“Now. I’m not a scientist- just a very caring, artistic, strong, and humble princess- but I do know something about compromised experiments.” Scorpia approached, setting both claws on the table and leaning in close with a big smile. “You can’t spell compromised without promise!”

Entrapta waited for more, but it never came. “... and?”

“I don’t know honestly I just realized you can’t spell compromised without promise. Or promised too I guess. I thought there was something there but- Oh oh wait! I got something!” Her face lit up and once more the two waited for Scorpia to follow through. “… wait no that doesn’t make sense either… hold on there’s something here. I feel it.“

 

“There really isn’t, Scorpia.” A third voice echoed through the makeshift workshop, originating from seemingly unknown origins but immediately identifiable.

 

“Catra?” They chimed in unison, but in entirely different tones.

“Ask and you shall receive…” She muttered, stepping out from behind the shell of an inactive drone, idly dragging a finger along it’s curved exterior.

“Catra!” Scorpia chirped excitedly. “Perfect. This is perfect! We can figure this out together now, as the Super Pal Trio! Alright, first. Have you been seeing ghosts?”

“I don’t know. What does a ghost look like?” She smirked, prowling a little closer to the two of them and doing her best to look indifferent- a task made significantly easier with a washed mane and fresh clothes.

“I… I think they look like people wearing sheets or…” Scorpia went on, almost entirely unphased by the strange appearance nor considering the fact that Catra had to have made her way into the room and was waiting to make her appearance. Which meant she heard at least the extent of the last conversation.

Entrapta, however, was painfully aware of this. As was she aware of the sudden extreme behavioural shift back into what was best described as prime Catra. The baseline for all of her behaviour. Cool, calm, collected, and most importantly nothing like what Scopria had reported after she returned. It made her want to be excited, to join in with Scorpia and welcome their friend to the conversation, but alarm bells were blaring inside her head.

Why the sudden shift? What happened? Why was she there? What did she hear? Was she capable of another sudden shift? What if she said something wrong again? What if she yelled at her again?

Each question slowly pushing her deeper and deeper into a shell until she realized her knees were pulled back into her chest and pigtails had pulled in to close her flanks. The mask veiled her face, watching as the two had a conversation that was so casual it made her skin crawl. Like nothing had happened. And when Catra laughed at something Scorpia said, her heart skipped a beat.

“So why are we talking about people wearing bed sheets and whether or not I can see them in the first place?” At some point she’d taken to sitting on the edge of the table across the way from Entrapta, casting a side-eye on her as she remained silent.

“Oh. Uhm. Well…” Scorpia fumbled a bit, making noises to fill the air while remaining oblivious to Catra’s attention. It remained firmly on the princess, the confident smirk slowly vanishing until it was something more serious.

It made her uneasy.

Suddenly, fingers snapped and Catra was animated again with that casual charisma.

“Oh. Scorpia. I forgot to mention. I ran into Lonnie in the showers and she said she was so proud of her work cleaning up that she wants you to go find her for a review. Think you can manage an inspection for me? And make it as thorough as possible, just really give it to her for a single tile not shining.”

“Of course!” Suddenly the princess snapped to attention, still beaming excitedly. She was just so happy to have Catra back to normal, she didn’t much care why there was a change in the first place. “I’ll check in later, alright? Maybe you guys can swing by my room and we can have a Super Pal Trio niiiiight! Ooh it’ll be so exciting. We can talk about our feelings more and share deep dark secrets. And ma-”

“Scorpia-” Catra’s voice was firm, nudging the force captain back on track in force of presence alone. “Lonnie’s waiting.”

 

“Right, right. Alright, bye…!” She backpedaled the whole way out and lingered in the doorway, waving to an unenthusiastic but patient send off until finally marching out of sight and leaving the two alone.

Just Entrapta and Catra.

Alone.

 

Both had experienced the sensation few do. To know what a room feels like when the lights have been turned off and the people have all walked out. Something that only the furniture had the right to know. And yet like the rest of the background the two were intimately aware of how it felt to feel a room go cold and vacant, even while still being within. Like they were nothing but part of the set dressing for others to interact with and nothing more.

There would have been a sense of solidarity as they sat in what suddenly felt like an empty lab had both not suddenly been struck silent, each avoiding the gaze of the other.

 

It felt like forever and Entrapta wished silently that Scorpia would reappear to break the tension. To conjure the Catra who was there just moments ago out of the sudden spectre of a person, fearing that if she were to try it would be to the same effect as the night prior. To the moment that started all of this.

But as fear gripped her in the long vacancy of activity, she found herself desperate for something- anything- and without thinking her hair extended forward to gather parts of an incomplete piece of machinery. She could feel Catra’s eyes now on her, watching every motion as she began to occupy herself with work out of sheer desperation for a break from the tension.

The comfort of repetition was short lived however as the response from her feline counterpart finally came.

This time it was Catra who wordlessly moved with thought out motions, standing at the opposite end of the work table and stepping over the incomplete mechanism in her grasp. It was impossible to ignore now as Entrapta turned her full attention to the shift in position, staring up with a rush of anxiety at her friend. Just as quickly as she had risen to her feet, Catra was seated once more, legs folded beneath her as she became a barrier between Entrapta and her work. Even sitting she still loomed over her, doing little to quell the panic within.

Catra had placed herself entirely within her shell, sitting within the bounds of her pigtails and directly above her.

 

When she finally spoke, it was familiar but new. Sweet and slow like molasses, dripping smoothly before smothering her in a warm sensation she could only capture moments before slipping away in bed but with a tone she wasn’t normal from Catra. Something quiet and somber.

“So....” she drawled. “Crazy night last night, huh?”

“I…” Entrapta was shushed immediately as a claw traced along the bottom edge of her mask, hooking under to peel it away and expose the princess beneath. Her gaze shifted, trying to focus on something that wasn’t Catra, attempting to turn her face away only to find that hand had found its way onto her chin. She could feel the pads of her fingers urge her to stay exactly where she was as they dragged across her jawline in languid strokes. Silence fell on them as a rush of emotions filled her, mixing like oil and water. She was terrified and excited, wanting nothing more but to melt into the touch but terrified at what came next, still too scared of misunderstandings and wrong doings she couldn’t fully grasp committing.

Catra could shift at any moment, and while she wanted to bask in the melodic tones of her voice and gentle touches she enjoyed so much, she feared that any little perceived transgression would bring back gnashing teeth and painful words.

So Entrapta did nothing, allowing Catra to take the lead in the social dance she didn’t know the steps to, but only finding her partner was ready to begin when she finally looked up to see the lidded gaze of gold and azure waiting patiently for her attention.

And once she locked with them, she couldn’t find it in her to look away, practically frozen under the felines sheer aura.

A smile pulled across lips that caught the tips of her fangs, and Entrapta wanted to shudder.

“You were right, princess. It’s been a rough few days…” she sighed in a way that suggested theatrics but didn’t seem to subtract from the sincerity of her statement. “And while I don’t think I’ve seen any ghosts lately you two need to worry about busting, I am pretty sure the change of scenery is throwing me off. And last night, when you were trying to help I snapped.” Entrapta gulped, hanging onto the edge of every word as the slight prick of a claw tip dragging across her skin made sure she kept her eyes locked on Catra with her ears downturned and her face in a twist as though words were physically painful to say.

“You didn’t deserve that. So… I am… sorry.”

“B-but… I…” Entrapta was staggered, stammering helplessly before finding herself cut off again as the taunting finger that had been keeping her chin in place found its way to rest directly against her lips- a gesture that made her eyes widen and cheeks flush.

“Yea. So, you didn’t listen to me. But I had a good night's sleep last night and a nice long shower this morning, and I had a lot to think about after my head cleared up, you know? It was a little mistake, but hey- so was snapping, wasn’t it? And let me tell you, I would be a hypocrite if I held it against you after that whole Shadow Weaver thing. Just next time, princess? When I ask you to do something, maybe just do it, hm? Afterall. That’s what friends do, isn’t it?”

 

Despite herself and all the tears she had already exhausted over the last day, Entrapta suddenly found herself with a few more to spare. She was still scared, still concerned, but also so eager to surrender herself to undoing whatever had happened. The thoughts muddied and jumbled, still trying to blend together into an impossible confusion that caused only conflict as she stared up at Catra, trying her best to understand.

She was giving her everything she wanted, an apology, an explanation, and most importantly reassurance. And yet part of her remained on edge, scared of a change she could not predict nor understand happening again.

Her mind whirred as it tried to make a sense of it all when she felt the warm touch of a hand to her face, pulling her from her head to the moment at hand with glossy eyes and quaking jaw. Claws drifting lazily behind her ear to her ear while a thumb busied itself with wiping away a tear that threatened to crest her cheekbone to join it’s siblings who had fallen to her lap.

If there was some perfect thing to say that would make the hurt go away, neither knew what it was. No clever remark or sage wisdom.

Although it didn’t stop Catra from trying.

“Listen, Entrapta… I’m not good at this apology thing. I’m not sure if you can tell but it’s kind of a new experience.” She exhaled through her nose, the cool visage cracking under the struggle to find the right words to allow sincerity to seep through. “But. If you weren’t someone who I wanted to apologize to, I wouldn’t be here. And I don’t know if that’s enough- seriously I don’t- but I hope that it is. Because I can say like hey- I’m sorry I said I didn’t need you and I’m sorry I yelled and I know that just because you made me upset doesn’t mean I get to snap like that. But I really don’t want to because it makes me feel like I swallowed a bunch of rocks.”

“... but you just did.” Entrapta managed through a sniffle.

“Yeah. Well, maybe because I’m really trying here, T..”  Catra huffed, bringing her other hand to flank the princess’ face, holding onto her cheeks. “Like really, really hard. Just… I don’t know. Listen. I hate this. Like a lot. So just. I’m sorry. And…” Her eyes shut as her hands tensed. “I don’t ever want to the be the person who hurts other people who are just trying their best. And I know you are. That’s why I don’t just need your help… I want it. You’re my friend, alright? No matter what.”

Glazed over ruby reds looked up through the blur at Catra. Everything about her made her want to throw her caution to the wind and nod, but a final thread of sense held taught.

Entrapta needed just one last thing as she let her head rest between paws. Just one word that visibly struck the feline as it was uttered.  
“Promise?”

 

If she didn’t know better, the look on Catra’s face might have been shock. Maybe even pain, blinking rapidly as though something had just been caught in her eyes. Entrapta watched with a fledgling curiosity as the feline broke eye contact for the first time since they’d sat on that edge of the table. A moment passed as she stared at the nothing, deadpan and in silence before finding a renewed unspoken resolution there.

Her eyes were glossy. Her smile thin. And her voice carried such weight that not even Entrapta could question it’s intent.  
“I promise.”

 

Finally, it snapped and Entrapta surrendered herself to the impulses to trust. Tension yielded with bobbing shoulders, her chest quaking as a breath escaped a strained smile. No effort was made to hide the manic joy, her face unmasked as tears started to stream.  
“I thought I maybe... I didn’t understand why or how but I was so worried you weren’t-...!”

“Relax, Entrapta. I told you before. You’re part of the Horde, you belong here. You belong right here-” One of her hands retracted, a finger stealing away pooling tears with it. “- right here with me and Scorpia. Spying on cadets and making robots.”

Without thinking she found herself leaning into Catra’s remaining hand, the feeling of the way the pads yielded against her hot cheek bringing a sputtered chuckle into her throat where it was stuck.

Catra’s, however, rumbled from her chest without issue.  
“I see why you and Scorpia spend so much time together. You must just love all that hugging and touching and cuddling…” her tone was amused but still soft, moving forward at a slow pace. “Although I bet all of this is a little harder with those claws, hm?”

Her hand continued to play along her jaw like it was sculpted to fit, Entrapta’s tension melting away as she allowed herself to be pulled this way and that by simply allowing her weight to rest against it. Eyes closed and hair slowly began to coil instinctively around Catra in a loose embrace, her fingers tugging at the tight fabric clinging to her shins in an effort to hold onto something of hers. Anything.

 

A hush came over the two of them, the only sound of note the hum of nearby machinery as Catra’s guiding hands eventually deposited the princess’ head into her lap- her temple to her thigh. And when claws found her scalp, Entrapta didn’t fight it. She had no cause to, nor the strength either. Her fears and anxieties had been conjured and doused, leaving her heavy with a mulch of unused energy that weighed heavy in her chest. It was a dense sensation but warm, comforting, and a bed for something else to grow. Sprouts of joy, small yet vibrant, springing from the remnants of negativity.

Tender little sensations that were nurtured in the basking glow of the feline’s affection and supping away at tears of joy that still streamed like fire across a tender face.

 

There was nothing more she could want, letting productivity be damned as arms came to join her pigtails in wrapping around what she could. Fingers still pinched at what cloth she could peel away from her form, rubbing and tugging at it affectionately as all her attention fell onto just savoring the moment.

And every time she risked a little more, squeezing her arms a little tighter and roaming a hand across the small of Catra’s back, Entrapta found no refusal. No warnings. Just the gentle persistent encouragement of claws working through her hair and scratching small circles against her scalp. Each moment, those emotions grew and grew till she found herself with a harvest of courage.

“Catra…?” she whispered into her thigh,cracking her eye open to glance up at a what might as well have been a dream.

Her response was an inquisitive pur, leaving what few words there were to be had in the moment for Entrapta to use.  
“Thank you. And… and I’m sorry too-”

Once again, a finger came to her lips and silenced her, sparing them both an unnecessary apology. Catra didn’t need any further words to let her know she knew. She knew and it was alright, what was said had been said and what came next had no roots in what had happened. There was only room for better things and so Entrapta yielded, surrendering herself to the moment once again with shut eyes and wandering hands.

Time drifted by in ways that didn’t seem to make sense nor mattered, melding together into an undefinable blur and only made further complicated as Entrapta opened her eyes to ponder if at some point she had slipped away into a brief slumber. It didn’t matter though. Catra was there. Every time she opened her eye or squeezed her back to make sure it she remained, she found her still present. Still glowing. Still smiling.

Catra. Her Catra. The Catra with patience for her explanations and tender touches and sweet words and questions. A smile crossed tired features as she said it in her head again.

_Her Catra._

 

In that time that listed without aim, another bounty of confidence had ripened and her voice cracked the quiet again.

“Catra…?”

Another purr tickled her ears in response.

“I know,” she continued meekly, pinching at the bottom of her shirt and wrapping it around her knuckle, “you don’t like extended periods of affectionate mutual touching- or cuddling, if you will- as much as I seem to, but could… can we…”  
Her voice trailed, finding it without enough fuel to reach its target, but Catra met her half way. “Can we what?” she coaxed, amused at the display.

“... I would like it if we could go lay down? For a short while?” At long last her head abandoned it’s home, the fabric of her pants sticking to Entrapta’s cheek for just a instant before snapping back down with a damp patch of tears that had yet to dry. Eyes hunted for disapproval, a reason to let Catra know that she didn’t have to if she didn’t want to and instead found none.  
Just that amused smirk that would catch on her tooth in a way she couldn’t stop obsessing over. So perfect in its imperfection.

 

“Sure. Not like I have anything else I should be be doing around this place anyway..” It widened, that smile, flashing pearly white points that part of Entrapta wanted to touch. They decoupled, lingering touches delaying the process to the ire of neither, Catra shifting to the floor and offering an arm.

“Plus, my butt was starting to fall asleep.”

Catra’s snicker danced through her teeth, and although Entrapta was not nearly as amused by the joke she was just happier to have it happen at all. Without a moment more hesitation she took her companions arm in a way princesses did and allowed herself to be guided. Together they shuffled, her head on her shoulder as they wove around projects and tools that created a barrier around the bed in the corner of the room. Unlike the cot in her bedroom, it was something more befitting royalty. Expansive and luxurious in it’s excess of cushioning, managing to look welcoming even with the tablets and socket-wrenches strewn across it.

Although, Catra didn’t seem to agree as she promptly began reorganizing where the workload had managed to spill it’s way across the mattress, leaving Entrapta to just watch for a moment as she did her best to make it presentable and smiling when it was clear she didn’t know what to do with all the decorative pillows.

She even allowed herself a quiet chuckle when she began to grow flustered with trying to organize them.

The duotone gaze of her partner immediately snapped on her, quick and predatory but clearly in good humor.

“Alright, fine-” Entrapta’s wrist was grabbed and her weight pulled forward as Catra tossed her onto the bed- pillows, wrenches and all. “You show me how you sleep on all this junk and I’ll follow your lead.”

A moment passed as she sat there confused, turning to face an expecting figure who gestured for her to proceed. She wasn’t sure how to react at first, struggling to read the sudden display and fearing the worst in the back of her mind, but quickly pulling away. Entrapta was confident she did not understand the cues, but what she did know one thing. Catra made it clear. She wanted her there. She was her friend. And after a moment of observation she was confident that the request was sincere and one the princess was always happy to oblige.

Entrapta adjusted herself, quickly organizing pillows with her hair to assemble a barrier between her body and the wall until she had comfortably wedged herself into a nest of upholstery with her back to the wall.

“Of course! I find it’s all about preserving your back from being injured. This pillow here?” she chirped, pointing to a pillow trapped between her knees and opening her mouth to explain further when a sudden thud and bounce silenced her, Catra tossing herself with hands prematurely knitted behind her head as she made contact with the bouncy mattress.

“You really do have an answer for everything, don’t you?” She turned to look at Entrapta, the two finding each other face to face in a messy pile of blankets tangled beneath their twin forms. A hand freed from the new position found its way into the princess’ hair, fingers twirling through it with the idle drifting of a breeze. “So what about this? Why does your face always light up and you stop moving when I do things like this? The uh… extended periods of affectionate mutual touching?”

 

“Ah-ha...ha… uh, yes.” As if on cue, her cheeks flushed again and her voice grew smaller. “Well. The. Endorphins. Er-uhm. No the. Uhm. Which one is it… Oxytocin!”

“The stuff we breath? Can’t I just get that by opening my mouth?” Catra smirked, making a display of taking deep breaths that billowed across the princess’ grinning face upon exhale, fluttering her lashes reflexively.

“No no, that’s oxygen. Oxytocin is a chemical our brains produce when we’re sharing a space with someone in an intimate fashion. If you would like I could see if I could replicate the response. For you. For science.” Her face radiated heat, and there was no way Catra couldn’t feel it from proximity.

“For science, huh? Inviting me along for more experiments?” Claws wove throw the twilight hued hair, stroking it lazily as she mulled the question with exaggerated humming and hawing. “Maybe in a bit princess,” she purred, tapping a finger to her nose, “for now why don’t you tell me all the best ways to make oxygen.”

“Oxytocin.” She swiftly corrected, huddling a little closer still, foreheads nearly touching as she closed the gap.

“Feel good brain stuff.” Catra laughed.

“Technically correct, if a little derivative.”

“Maybe you’re the one being derivative not telling me the best way to make brain stuff by doing extended face touching.”

“That’s … derivative isn’t applicable in that way?”

“C’mon princess. Touch good brain stuff. How?” The feline left little time to respond before experimenting on her own, claws untangling from her pigtail to find her face. They were too close to grasp in the way she seemed so keen with fingers beneath the jaw, but she made due. Her palm settling just off to the side of her chin, thumb and fingers alike gently caressing her cheek as if trying to coax an answer from Entrapta.

Of course, intentional or not, it worked.

 

“I… I like when you do that. And when you touch my hair. And… well. I don’t really know what else. This is unexplored territory for me.” Her tone was hush as a downward turn struck it just slightly, eyes drifting away from the sea-side sunset Catra carried within her gaze. “I’ve done extensive reading and research on it. I know that many of the other princesses have had the luxury of experimenting! With… parents. And family. And Sea Hawks. But I’ve never really had that. Well! No, actually once! I made a robot whose soul purpose was to replicate physical intimacy but despite my best efforts I have yet to create an artificial intelligence capable of genuine feeling. _Yet_.”

Catra canted her head, the sensation of her hair just barely brushing against Entrapta’s features once more tickling her senses as her counterpart pondered.

“I know what a Sea Hawk is- that doofus with the moustache. And I think I’ve picked up on what a parent is by now. But.. family. What’s a family? Is that just a name for someone you have Oxitoxi with?”

“Oxytocin.” She chimed again, unphased in her delivery. “And to my understanding a family is a group of people who progenate you and share your ancestry. They care for you and raise you and…” she paused, sighing through her nose as she trailed off quietly, the enthusiasm escaping from her as though she’d sprung a leak. It was not without notice as the hand on her face curled and knuckles brushed down her cheek in a manner that both comforted and excited her. “A-although I have seen descriptions before indicating a family is something you can make. Or find.”

“Ah-huh… and you didn’t have that, did you? Back in your castle?”

Knees knocked into each other as Entrapta reflexively began to ball, struggling to look somewhere above Catra’s collar bone and finding she simply could not.

“No…” Her voice was hushed, inaudible to the world outside of the tightening huddle.

“That’s alright.” A thumb traced the underside of her lip, and the courage to glance up was rewarded with a reflection of knowing want on her partner’s face. “I never had a family either. But if it’s something you can make? I think we can be your family. Me, Scorpia, Lonnie- everyone. The Horde. We can take care of you, if that’s all it takes.”

There was a stunned silence as Entrapta’s mind struggled to process the remark. Part of her was surprised, part of her wasn’t, and part of her was scared. But most importantly as she brought their crowns to touch one another to look closely into the depths of sincerity sparking in topaz and sapphire, she felt overjoyed. Overwhelmed with words and responses to the point none could be conjured.

Her mouth opened and closed, trying to let something flow out- an answer or even a noise- but instead she found nothing but choked attempts and false starts. But as it seemed to be with their dynamic, Catra once more took the reigns and guided her along.

“I’ll take that as a yes…” she purred, lightly scratching at her chin before releasing. “And I think it’s your turn now..”

 

Entrapta blinked.  
“What do you mean, my turn?”

 

“Make me some Ox-cotton. For science.” That tooth caught her lip again, and Entrapta’s heart nearly broke out of her ribs.

Entrapta didn’t even bother correcting her, finding herself still staggered for a way to respond as the pieces fell in place. To her fortune, Catra remained patient- possibly even reveling in the way she could see the buffering going on inside the princess’ head- and busied herself with claws lodged once more in lilac locks.

“I mean, if you still want to, that is.”

“I-I-I- uh... Yes. Yes I would…” What one does with hands suddenly escaped her, raising one from its place between them and then setting it back down, and then raising it again only to realize the gloves yet remained. “Oh. Uhm. I would… just.”

 

A giggle was all that met her in response as she bit a fingertip of her glove, pulling a bare free hand with which she immediately struggled to use. It drifted and lingered over an expecting partner, shifting from place to place like an excited child trying to choose a sweet at the store. Pros and cons were weighed in flashes, mathmatic equations with no real answer bubbling up in her head only to crumble away under the weight of practicality, and time and time again fear repelled her fingers from ever finding the soft-furred form of the feline curled besides her.  
Painfully long seconds ticked on, and the only constant in her head was the throbbing of her heart.

“I’ve never- aheh- I’ve never done this part before.” she whispered awkwardly as she managed at best to run her palm across the tips of Catra’s hair.

“Never practiced on a robot?” she teased with brow arched. “Come on Princess, I’m just dying for some Occupation. Hit me with your best shot.”

“You want me to hit you?” She glanced at her drifting hand as it formed a loose fist.

“Wha- no!” Catra cackled, the entire bed shifting with the sudden outburst before she settled back in, crown to crown. “Dive in. Head first. That’s what I do, just come at me with your best and the rest will come naturally.”

“Head first…” Entrapta repeated, ideas suddenly filling her head again while blood filled her cheeks. A in particular thought came to mind. Something big. Something dangerous. Something that she lacked the impulse control and any real understanding of to think twice of it.

It didn’t help either as Catra repeated again, voice smokey and low as she toyed with her hair.

“Head first…”

 

Entrapta gulped.

 

Without a moment of further contemplation, she made the barely necessary lean in to press her lips to Catra in a kiss that neither was prepared for.

 

Like so many first kisses, it was clumsy and uncertain. The princess led the duo with only stories to inform her as she pressed a feather touch to unresponsive lips that only parted to inhale a note of surprise. There was no clawing fingers or biting teeth, nor any breaks to pant the perfect quip before delving back in. It lacked all the carelessness of experience, and yet still it’s affects could not be denied. Because like so many first kisses, it wasn’t about the motions or skill.

It was about the person.

It was about feeling a way for a person and taking the risk of letting them know. To take a leap into something scary and unknowable and terrifying in it’s depths, and to invite another to take it with them. And for all the kiss lacked in knowledge or ability it made up for in sincerity.

A sincerity that was rewarded when her counterpart, as lost as she was with what to do, met her in the gesture, bringing with it a fervor that nearly overwhelmed as heads began to cant and eyes shut tight. Hands found cheeks and hair and necks and the two pulled onto one another as they let the distance between them cease to exist. Legs intertwined, hair and tail draped across forms, and in any way they could the two found themself swept up in the sensation of touch.

 

What passed could have been endless minutes or a brief few seconds, and yet neither could have said. But what they could agree to was that somewhere along the way they reached a point that seemed to be the right time to stop, parting only at the lips as they looked onto one another for an explanation. Instead they only found hunting eyes and red cheeks.

 

“... that uhm. That was some good ox… that was good.” Catra chimed quietly. “Good job.”

“I uhm…! Yes! I concur. Very good.” Entrapta toyed with soft fur as she realized at some point her hand found the courage to get lost in Catra’s mane. “I think that is now the top on my list.”

 

There was a beat as the two smiled dumbly at each other, at a lost at what to say next. Someone laughed a little bubbly note, and the other responded in kind before they squeezed a little tighter.

 

“What even was that?” Catra purred, and Entrapta gasped in delight as she felt the vibrations throughout her body for the first time.

It was enough to distract her momentarily from the question that only registered after she’d rested her hand on the felines sternum to find the source of the sensation.

“Oh. Uhm… that was a kissing…!” She whispered it as though there was anything left to be bashful about at this point. “Have… do you not know what kiss is? I assumed you did. You do know what hugging is right? You haven’t just been using the word pretending you know the meaning?”

Catra  gave her a playful jostle, but nothing hard enough to dare break even the smallest amount of contact between the two.

“Yes I know what hugging is. Scorpia made sure of that… but kissing… “ she repeated dreamily. “Why did I like it? It was just touching mouths but like. Better.”

“Oxytocin…” Entrapta hummed in sing-song notes, a sudden surge of excitement finding her as she pressed her nose to Catra’s. “To my understanding the results vary from person to person, so if you had a response as positive as mine...“

She didn’t finish the thought, simply smiling dumbly.

 

“... and you’ve never done that before?”

“No! No… and… you?”

“No…”

 

Their voice hushed as each simply soaked in the details of the other in any way they could, beyond trying to understand what just happened.

“Weird… “ she rumbled, pulling in close to the princess and tightening the tangle of limbs as a claw idly traced her spine through the fabric of her shirt. It did little to help in calming Entrapta down. Although, it didn’t seem that was something she wanted.

“Show me again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOF. What, only took 25k words to get there, eh?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WoOf. Sorry gang. Longest gap between chapters since I started writing back in December. A lot of personal business happened over the last week and I just haven't had the same time or energy for writing as I'd liked, but things have calmed down now.
> 
> That said, I've been exhausted trying to find the right scene and I know that following up the First Kiss sequence is hard so I just thought I'd explore the space more and tighten up some bonds.  
> Although to keep you all excited I will remind you. This is a three-way relationship.  
> You all get at LEAST two more first kisses.

Catra stirred from a light slumber, fighting a long and lazy battle to regain her consciousness from the miasma of half registered sensations. The feeling of a dull ever present warmth against her core, the chill of still air creeping up her back, the shift of another body and the sounds of sheets moving against one another. When she did finally bring herself to soak in the waking world, it was to the peaceful face of Entrapta right in front of her.

Uneven bangs fell across her face, her mouth hung partially agape, and her whole body rose and fell to the faintest sounds of a snore. And for a moment, Catra just watched and replayed the scene in her head. 

 

It did not go as intended.

 

After her talk with Lonnie, Catra found herself with a clearer mind. Whether it was the talk they had or the fight that did it, she wasn’t entirely sure. Either way, after excusing Lonnie back to her duties she found herself with a new perspective she still didn’t entirely grasp. Part of her tried to disassemble it, now understanding what she was feeling and why.

Guilt was something she had never really been educated in. Guilt was, as far as she had known, a weakness. It was something someone with weak resolve felt when they didn’t have the strength to do what had to be done. Regret, on the other hand, was something she knew intimately. Shadow Weaver made sure of that. 

But the more she tried to understand the feeling inside her belly, the more she realized she wasn’t as equipped to deal with any of it as she thought. It never ended with just Entrapta. Any time she started to try and focus, break it down and make sense of why she did what she did, a hundred other thoughts invaded her mind. If she accepted the ownership of her actions in this case, what excuse would she have for all the other things she’d done? The struggle with the scale and complexity of the still fresh concept was too much to handle, so she did what she always did.

 

She took action without thinking.

 

Entrapta upset her. A fact she told herself maybe a dozen times as she played out potential ways the conversation was going to go. Entrapta refused to listen to her request and it upset her. She also knew that her response upset Entrapta enough that she was huddled away somewhere in an air duct crying.

That was it. End of story. She was going to sort it out, and move on no matter the result.

Of course she had no idea what she was doing the minute she actually got Entrapta alone, and much less had any idea things were going to escalate the manner they did.

Sure, she understood why she enjoyed “kissing” as much as she did guilt, but of the two she wasn’t going to complain. In her mind she envisioned doing what she always did; acting rash and saying the wrong thing, making things worse. Getting into a fight. Failing to convince someone with words and resorting to action. By all expectations it was meant to break bad. 

Instead, Catra found herself falling asleep to the sounds of drowsy giggles and the sight of a bright smile as Entrapta informed her that she purred when she scratched behind her ears. 

 

She snickered quietly as the tail end of the encounter played over and over. The best parts. The kissing, the touching, the attempt at a whisper the princess used when she was trying to be covert. 

It was enough that she really did consider just going back to sleep and waiting to wake up to Entrapta’s smiling face, but she knew she’d taken enough time already. The apology- and its aftermath- took longer than intended and while It was likely there were no issues she had to intervene with, she owed it to Scorpia to at least put in a half-assed effort to make it up to her for covering two days in a row. 

Carefully, she began to decouple from the princess, having to fight with just about every limb the two of them had plus pigtails that had taken to holding loosely to her hips. Each movement was slow and intentional, stopping whenever Entrapta stirred even slightly to ensure she would end the process as peaceful as she started. Finally, after some doing, Catra rolled off the edge of the bed and onto her feet. Arms stretched over her head, joints popped, and she went about adjusting clothing that had been misaligned during the cat nap.  And when she finally on her feet and free, she didn’t move for a good long to instead look back at the mattress where her imprint was still probably warm. So warm. It really was the best sleep she had since the Fright Zone. Hell, even longer than that. It took everything in her power to force herself away even if it was to drag her feet and meander around the lab to find something to eat.

After all, a slow start was better than no start. 

 

“Tiny food…” she sniffed around the air between sweeps in the darkness looking for something edible. “... hard to find tiny food. Why’s it go to be tiny food-...” 

Her ears snapped to attention and rotated from side to side as she heard the slightest sound of movement. Immediately she looked back to Entrapta fearing she’d woken her only to find she remained a lump among the piles of pillows. For a beat she continued to stand perfectly still, hunting for any further signs of disturbance before letting herself relax.

“Tiny food…” she began again, much quieter as she prowled around the room. It was almost beginning to feel like she should have done the responsible thing and just go to the mess hall and risk encountering someone who wanted her to do her job when she came across the remnants of some manner of cupcake.

As she weighed the pros and cons of eating what was far from a healthy breakfast, her ears snapped back up and pupils tightened. In the reflective surface of the plate beneath the confectionary she knew this time.

She knew she saw something move.

Once more she whipped around, looking for the source of the disturbance in the darkness and found nothing. And just as before, Entrapta remained quietly sleeping. Her investigation continued, scanning the corners of the room while her mind raced to access the situation. If it was some piece of machinery, it wasn’t anything she could immediately identify as active. There were no distinct smells, no body odor or perfume. Every sense she had informed her she was alone, and yet her instincts knew better.

Her form lowered to the ground, moving on all fours as she hunted for any sign for the presence she could feel in the standing hairs across her entire body. 

It was her ears that caught it again as she whipped her head around just in time to catch the sight of something moving in the corner. It was small and indistinguishable from the dark shades of where the walls met.  Claws extended as she moved with intent, keeping her eye on where she’d seen she shape while simultaneously trying to obscure her approach. Once more her mind prepared her in flashes for what to expect. It could have just been a rat or even a fly caught bouncing against the walls looking for a way out, but there were other things lurking in the Whispering Woods. Terrifying things she’d faced first hand during her excursions into the First One’s ruins.

 

No matter what the intruder was, Catra did not intend on leaving it much time to regret it’s choice of rooms to sneak into.

 

Counting the seconds, she tightened her form and glowered at the corner. She waited. And waited. And waited until the moment was just right.  And when she saw it, she launched like a spring, claws outstretched and her speed lightning fast. It was unmistakable, something moved in the dark against the walls to the slightest sound of flapping cloth. Catra knew she saw it. It was without question.

So when her claws dragged gashes into the concrete walls, she felt a sudden drop in her stomach. 

She was backed into a corner, the walls bleeding an unnatural darkness that refused to yield even standing so close. A darkness that began to creep and crawl around her like a mass of writhing eels, eliciting about the same amount of disgust and terror.  Whipping around, she prepared for the worst and shouted out to the only ally she had in the room for what was about to happen.

“ENTRAPTA, IT-” Her veins turned to ice. Standing in the center of the room was a slender figure, moving in impossible ways as though they were submerged in water. A black halo of writhing hair framed an expressionless face. Tattered cloth made only the faintest sounds as it crept across the floor with a mind of its own. Long spindly fingers were peaked together in front of their sternum. 

“-it’s her.” Catra’s voice crumbled away to little more than a squeak as Shadow Weaver stood between her and the princess.

One of those ghastly claws came to rest where hidden lips resided under a cracked mask, and a voice filled the room as though it was being projected from every corner of it.

“Quiet now. We don’t want to go waking your new play-thing, do we?” She turned just enough to unobscure Catra’s view of the princess, motionless beneath an aura of crackling crimson.

 

Panic and fury welled up inside of her, and immediately she was on the offense trying to take advantage of the witch’s diverted attention. A mighty below filled the room followed by a tremendous crash as her swing went through wisps of smoke to instead rend a table in two. As fast as she could she spun to find Shadow Weaver, to follow through, but instead found herself in a room that began to soak itself in an unnatural darkness.  The black began to seep through the walls like ink through paper and spilled across the floor until details were obscured by a painfully familiar veil.

“What are you doing here?!” Catra tried her best to keep the tremble out of her voice as she readied to pounce again. “I beat you, you should be back in the Fright Zone! You looking to lose a second time?”

“Oh come now. Can’t a mentor come to see how one of their Protegie’s is doing? After all, thanks to your continual failures I can’t be visiting Adora, now can I?” The voice consolidated to directly over her shoulder, and she could feel hair brushing against her ear. “Believe me, however, I would much rather be.”

An elbow threw back to try and catch her face but met nothing, following through with another blow as she swung around. Eyes locked and she began an advance, staying close and throwing controlled swings that remained tight to her body. If she could keep the gap closed, keep Shadow Weaver from vanishing again and deprive her of her range Catra was confident she could finish the fight on her terms or at least distract her enough until assistance arrived. 

And yet, nothing connected, even when she could have sworn she felt cloth against her claw tips, nothing followed through.

“Yeah, sorry to disappoint you, but I’m sure if you’d like when I’m done here we can ship you to Brightmoon to see her before they toss you up on the chopping block!” 

 

“Petulant as always. I thought perhaps the humility of failing on such a grand scope during your last siege would have made you even remotely wiser.“ Shadow Weaver maintained her composure, gliding out of each of the attacks but never able to escape the quick moving feline. “But instead I come to find you still struggling with childish wastes of time.”

Catra ignored her, keeping on the move and never relenting as she controlled the fight. Her opponent managed a swing that threw robotic carcass across the room in a clatter, but otherwise she gave her no ground. T he initial shock had died and she knew what she was doing. Anger still burned up inside her but she wasn’t afraid. Her wits were still about her this time, and each attack aimed to corral the sorceress further and further into the corner she emerged from.

“And I see you’re still struggling with situational awareness.” Teeth flashed in a wicked, carnivorous smile as Shadow Weaver realized only too late her back was literally to the wall. “Rotting in a cell was too good for you anyway.”

Claws came from flanking sides, aimed like a guillotine when they slid harmlessly through nothing.

 

“OH COME ON!” 

 

“Well. I will give you this Catra. You are a vicious little monster.” The voice returned to emanating from everywhere at once, filling the air with dripping humorless song. 

 

“That’s rich coming from you. Now either come out here and fight me or leave. I’m going to give you this one chance.” 

“Oh but Catra! I have only just arrived. Is that any way to treat your mother? After all I thought those things mattered to you now. Family.”

Laughter resonated from the tip of her thrashing tail to her grinding fangs.

“Get over yourself, hag. You were never and will never be anything but a pain in my backside.”

“So no kisses for mother dearest then? Or is that reserved for the helpless little princesses you need to convince to stay?”

 

Catra’s brow knit tight, knowing the insinuating tone well. And she knew- she KNEW- she shouldn’t take the bait. She knew it was a pitfall, but if she was anything, she was impulsive.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

The sigh that responded shook the room.

“Please Catra, why must you make it so difficult to find cause to be proud of you? Don’t tell me you sincerely believe that you’re forging some manner of … relationship with this mauve maned moron. We both know that’s not the case.”

The hairs on the back of her neck bristled in anger.

“What if it is?”

 

“Then you have learned NOTHING.” Like a pair of pilot lights suddenly flickering on, Shadow Weavers eyes appeared from the nothing as she rushed forward and into Catra’s face. They were inches apart as she gripped her by the collar, the feline too shocked to do anything for half a beat long enough to find herself paralyzed momentarily. “You have already learned this lesson, Catra. Do you really intend to take another course in this pain? Affection is exploitable. Guilt is weakness. Intimacy is a tool...”

Her body tensed as she waited for pain. A tell tale shock from the witches powers or the sting of a strike across the face, but as she braced she found instead she was suddenly released. 

Confused, she prepared herself for another fight only to be further disarmed by the casual demeanor of her old mentor before fading away into the wall of shadows.

“No… perhaps I am being too hard on you. You do know these lessons, don’t you? Tricking others into liking you… it’s always been a speciality of yours, hasn’t it?”

“I thought all I was good at was running and stabbing people in the back…” She growled. 

“As did I, but you manage to surprise me every day with the depths you are willing to sink. Although should I be surprised? It’s not like anyone could like you if they knew you like I do. The real you… devious, underhanded, self serving. Who could possibly ever stomach the company of such a despot that would turn their back on their own best friend?”

 

“She left ME!” her response was feral and sharp, hair beginning to bristle and turning her tail into a ball of fluff.

 

“Are you sure? Have you really thought about it, Catra? You barely understand what you truly feel, you had to have some underling teach you after a childish squabble after all. Have you truly stopped to consider that, if you conceded this time, how many other things have you done? How much pain have you caused others?”

Echoes began to tremble from the shadows, unaccompanied by visuals but they didn’t need to be. Catra could remember each moment from the words alone.

 

“Come with me!”

 

“I know you’re a good person.”

 

“Hey… I missed you too.”

 

Nostrils flared as she began to storm into the vortex of black, unsure if she was retreating or hunting as she found the room expansive beyond reason.

“How many times did she offer you her affection? Her attention? A place by her side- even if it was as a pet? And how many times did you decide to use that as a stepping stone for your own purposes?” 

Catra continued to march, refusing to answer as the newly learned weight of guilt began to fill her belly.

“You cultivated it when it benefited you, and used it against her when it got you what you wanted… just as you are doing now with this one.”

 

Without warning she found herself bumping into the hard frame of the bed, standing over a still unconscious Entrapta. Hesitation gripped her as she glanced over her shoulder, waiting for the trick. The little twist or appearance to catch her off guard, to weaken her defenses with shock after shock of sensation while Shadow Weaver words wriggled into the cracks in her armor, biting at tender points beneath.

But nothing came. Just more of her droning as she reached out for the princess only to find that she didn’t need some trick to stop her in her tracks. Regrets clung like tar to her ribs, making every inch drawn closer to reaching for Entrapta harder and harder.

“You found her, and immediately you saw her weakness. Abandonment. Loneliness. You made her feel that Catra. You convinced her her friends had abandoned her, that she meant so little to them… you made her feel these things, and then you made her a promise. The Horde wouldn’t leave her behind. The Horde is where she belonged. You would never treat her so badly.“ 

Shadow Weaver’s appearance on the opposite side of the bed was announced and slow, her form visible in the miasma itself before she drifted into the open.  Catra paid her little attention, staring down at Entrapta instead.

“You’ve been using it ever since, haven’t you Catra? Every little touch, every humored request, every time you reminded her the Horde was a home worth trusting in. You sank your claws deep into her back while smiling to her face. Gave her something to fear, and then presented yourself as her only hope. And now...” There was no disappearing act, no sudden appearance over her shoulder. Shadow Weaver glided, and Catra did nothing to stop her as she came to rest a hand on her deltoid.

“Now she’s yours. Afraid of your fury, but desperate for your approval.”

A sickening laugh filled her ears as she simply continued to stare, looking down at the princess as a numbness washed over her and the world began to blur in ways that didn’t make sense. They were in the room but, she almost felt as though she was looking down at herself.

“You don’t deserve it. Unearned and misplaced affections, but you’ll use it to its fullest, won’t you? Promise her anything and everything she wants. And then? You’ll hurt her when it benefits you…” Spindly fingers found her chin and pulled her to face the mask of her old mentor as the room fell back into place. “... does it sound familiar, Catra? I wonder where would you have picked up such a thing?”

Whatever fight was in her was gone. Not a single blow landed, and yet she found herself utterly and entirely defeated. Tired, even.The truth of it all rang in her, resonated up her spine and made her muscles heavy. Lightheadedness threatened to topple her over as the sensation of the world coming back to her senses in unnatural ways made her dizzy.

“I don’t...” she mumbled, feeling a hand come to brush against her cheek only barely through a growing disorientation. “I don’t… shut up...”

 

“What? Do you… want me to stop?” a confused voice responded. It didn’t sound like it belonged to Shadow Weaver.

 

“I… what?”

 

Reality felt like it was tumbling. Gravity felt wrong and she felt as though she was falling and against resistance where there should have been none at the same time. She tried to move and her body responded sluggishly as she felt out, reaching for something as her senses failed to agree on the same thing. It took focus, and a manifesting headache made the process only that much harder before she slowly came to the reality of it all.

And when she found an anchor at long last to make sense of the confusion, it was in the hand resting against her temple and fingers playing with the inside of her ear.

Realization hit as slow as Entrapta’s face came into focus. She had never even made it out of bed, dream and reality melding together in the twilight moments between waking and sleep. 

But she seemed at last to be out of it, or at least she hoped. 

 

And then, she got what she wanted. To wake up to Entrapta’s uncertain smiling face looking her over with concern.

 

“I was asking if you wanted me to stop? I can if you’d, uhm, like! I didn’t mean to overstep my boundaries.” Before she even finished asking, her hand retracted.

“N-no! No, no. I uhm… sorry. I was just having a bad dream.” She palmed her face, wiping at her eyes. The day was fresh- so to speak- but Shadow Weaver’s words still lived etched into her bones. Even in her dreams, she found a way to hurt her.

“Oh! I saw. Well, I assumed it was a bad dream- I noticed you were in REM sleep and noted an elevation in your heart rate and certain facial expressions common with displeasure. All signs that you’re a lucid dreamer! And suffer nightmares! I was taking notes when uh…” she paused, letting out a sheepish little guffaw. “Your ear.”

Catra was still struggling to leave the dream behind, it’s effects dense and malicious, but even still she couldn’t help but find the stupid smile spread across Entrapta’s lips a little bit infectious.    
“What about my ear?”

“It twitches involuntarily. I got… distracted by it. And I started to play with it, testing to see what kind of responses I could produce.” Fingers reached back to poke at the light tuft of protective fur that partially obscured it’s inner workings, the slightest touch of which caused her ear to twitch forward.

“It’s so twitchy…!”

Her voice, while attempting to stay low, was still shrill with excitement, reminding her of the throbbing headache she received from the nightmare still fresh in her mind. A growing discomfort lying besides the princess as Shadow Weavers words played over in her head didn’t help her condition either.

With an apologetic look to a confused Entrapta, she began to pull herself up right, rubbing her temples.

“Hey. Listen, princess. This was fun - love that ox-candy stuff- but I think I need to go get something for this headache… I’ll uh-”

 

Without warning a pair of arms wrapped around her. Too big and coming from the wrong direction to be Entrapta, Catra yelped in surprise and promptly began to struggle.

“Woah now! Headaches? Bad dreams? Don’t you move a muscle!” It took a moment for her to register it was Scorpia’s face she was currently jamming her palm into, but Catra deadpanned when she realized it was her. “I’ll go get you some aspirin and some warm milk!”

“What the hell is mi- WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” She winced at her own pitch, head beginning to throb from a growing stress which only worsened as both princesses responded in casual unison;

“Still lifes!”

 

A choking sense of exacerbation stole her voice, Catra falling to silence as she was released. Scorpia wasted no time hustling over to one of the tables Catra had her back to, a dim light glowing softly and illuminating the illustration she held up in her claws.  It was rough but the shapes were there. The two of them intertwined, a cartoonish Entrapta just peaking over the jagged-furred lump that was Catra. There was even some tasteful cross hatching to add shading.  
“I’m still trying to work on foreshortening but I think it was coming along pretty nicely.”

“I like my goggles. I wasn’t wearing them at the time which I feel defeats the purpose of a still life but it’s fun!” Entrapta chimed from behind Catra, who was still sitting there in a daze at what was happening.

“... okay.” she began again, in as collected a voice she could. “Why. Are you here.”

“... to do still lifes?”

“If you’re worried about permission she asked me before doing so! I thought it would be a beneficial use of everyone’s time while we waited for you to get up.”

 

Air hissed as it was sucked in through her teeth.

“No. Alright. One more time. What made you come into this room before Entrapta let you start doodling us?”

 

“Oh! Oh cause the automated defenses kicked in! Everyone’s off duty and it was time to get together for a very special Super Pal Trio night, like I said before, remember?” 

“Wait, for real? It’s already night time?!” Bewildered she looked for a clock and found that the room lacked one entirely. She knew they’d been out for a while but it was only after midday when she first stalked into the room, but having lived her entire life in the Fright Zone where entire days went without seeing the sun she thought her internal clock was better than that. 

“C’mon, Scorpia. Why didn’t you come get me up sooner?”

“Oh well. I figured you needed a break, and I’m always happy to cover for my best bud. Although, I’m sorry to say you did miss out on a whole bunch.”

Ears perked and Catra found a sense of panic hit like the symbol to the bass drum of a throbbing head, her hair starting to puff out.   
“Scorpia. What happened? Give me a … status report or whatever.”

 

A claw snapped to Scorpia’s head in a salute as she suddenly stood at attention.

“Oh yes ma’am! Oh this is exciting, first status report! Okay. Alright. So, first, I found Lonnie and she said you got into a fight with her in the locker-room, and she officially put in a formal requisition form for replacement fatigues. The job in the showers though?” A kiss was pressed to the tip of her claw. “Mwah. Perfect. Like brand new!”

“It is!” Entrapta added, shuffling up to the flabbergasted feline’s side as though to formally join the conversation.

“Okay… alright what else happened…? “ Catra continued to glare, trying her best to keep her full attention on Scorpia but finding it difficult as arms hugged her bicep and a cheek pressed to her shoulder.

“Well. I had lunch. I was in the cafeteria and I was looking at the rations available from the machine, and you know my favorite are the red ones. Red’s the best-”

“Gray are the best but okay.” 

“Well there were NEITHER! You know what there was though?”

“... brown?”

“Grilled cheese! It’s been so long since I had a grilled cheese, not since I was a little kid still living with my family! And it was tiny like onna little ciabatta bun or something!”

Catra blinked. She knew grilled. Wasn’t sure on the cheese part, and only fractions of a second into trying to search her memory for the word before an excited squeal and bouncing to her side nearly floored her.  
“Oh oh oh! OH! The upgraded food processor was scheduled to be installed today! Oh I’m so excited. If you think red and gray rations are good wait till the menu I programmed starts to cycle through! I’m so excited, I bet there’s miniature cupcakes already baked! I made sure to install over two dozen unique recipes and set up a program to create new exciting flavor profiles based off the most popular confectionery choices of the cadets!” Hands and hair alike rubbed excitedly.

“There maaaayyyyy be a few cupcakes.” Scorpia teased.

“I haven’t had real baked goods since I came to the Fright Zone! Only rations shaped like them!”

“W-you already have cupcakes! I saw some this… this morning… ?” Catra set a hand to her head, a hum in her skull only soothed the slightest by palming at her face. “Or was that the dream… ?” 

“What kind of nightmare were you having that involved cupcakes? Oh no. Were they poisoned? Did you eat poisoned cupcakes?! Entrapta are you making poisoned cupcakes!?”

“Not intentionally, no.”

“SHH… shh… You’re both so loud… “ She continued to paw at her temples as voices lowered and sheepish smiles flashed her way. “Alright. Okay new food. Hooray. Did anything important actually happen?”

“Oh uh. After lunch I did some rounds, checked in on the patrols.”

“And?”

“Oh no, no that’s it. Everyone’s very bored, I think we need to start running some fun drills just to keep everyone on their toes. Oh. And I guesssss there was one last thing. A very important secret project I think it’s time I let the both of you in on…” Scorpia glanced over her shoulder, a wry grin on her face that made it abundantly clear that whatever the “project” was, it was most certainly not important nor going to be a secret for much longer.

 

“... Scorpia.” Catra had to interrupt. “Did anything- ANYTHING- important actually happen today or is this something that doesn’t really need to be said?”

 

Without looking, the force captain responded as she turned her back to the two and began to busy herself with something obscured amongst the clutter on the table.

“Oh. I don’t know… Maybe it wasn’t a very busy day, but maybe it’s just the most important day of the year for one of the best pals I could ask for!” 

With surprising dexterity she snapped on a strange paper cone to the top of her head, hand colored and spotty but still vibrant even in the dim light of the room. And as if that wasn’t strange enough, she held gingerly on a small plate was a small pile of tiny cupcakes each seemingly constructed in the same exact manner save for one that sported what appeared to be a lit candle that may have been a crayon melted down around a wick.  Her smile sparkled in the flickering flame light and positivity practically radiated off her as she presented the snacks in what was, honestly, the strangest thing Catra had scene since the Princess Ball. 

The pagenty, however, did not go unnoticed by her bed-bound counterpart who suddenly gasped so intensely she was certain the princess was going to pass out. 

“OH! I FORGOT!” 

“Forgot what? What is this? What’s happening?” 

They both seemed too caught up in the ritual to bother to answer, leaving Catra to watch as the oddity continued to unfold. Entrapta released her arm, shimmying on her knees to the edge of the bed looking electrified with excitement as Scorpia cleared her throat and practiced a quick scale.

“... seriously what is happening…?”

 

“Haaaaappy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, smallest Best Pal Entraptaaaaa, happy birthday to you!”

Entrapta leaned forward, blowing out the candle, clapping excitedly as Scorpia cheered through the wisps and the plate exchanged hands. Catra only watched, uncertain how to even process the series of events that lead to that point much less the event, and even further confused as Scorpia proceeded to distribute more paper cone to the duo.

The princess quickly snapped a pair over the base of her pigtails, and both of them looked to Catra with eager expressions painted across there face.

“... is this a princess thing? This feels like a princess thing.” She glanced down at the hat, and then back at the other two.

“It’s the anniversary of my existence!” Entrapta’s voice rang like chimes in a strong breeze, excited and light. “It’s customary in most cultures to celebrate the day with loved ones and family, usually with decorative cake and festivities!”

“Yeah, and stuff like this? EVERY princess knows every other princesses birthday.” Scorpia stepped in, adjusting her hat. “There’s like newsletters about it and the parties they throw… oh man some of the stories I heard! Really cool stuff. I wish I had stuff like that, but I would always go home to see my parents for mine.” She trailed off, head canted as she clearly lost herself in momentarily in thought before snapping back to Entrapta with a smile.   
“What about you? I bet you had some great parties in Dryl!”

“Oh! Yes! Well. No. Sometimes? My servants used to throw me parties until I replaced most of them with robots! Then I had my robots programmed to celebrate instead for approximately an hour before returning to work! It was very efficient.” As if on cue, she seemed stumble into a bittersweet nostalgia as well, absentmindedly plucking the candle from it’s frosting before smiling to Catra. “I forgot after a while so I’m excited to have another one!”

 

Even Catra- confused, tired, and hurting- picked up on it. Sitting in a dark room with a few friends hardly seemed like it compared to balls that were newsworthy. They didn’t vocalize it, and it was only an instant before they returned to simply being excited to have someone to share the moment with at all, but it had been there.  
Regret. A sense of longing for something that everyone else seemed to have.

 

It suddenly conflicted her plans.

 

She wanted to leave still, struggling with the residue of the faux Shadow Weaver and the merit of her taunts. It felt like she was an invader, like she didn’t belong in the company of two princesses taking the time to celebrate something so small and silly. Genuine friends. She didn’t belong there. She didn’t deserve to be there, a voice in her head repeated. That the mid-afternoon cat nap was a new type of mistake.

But as she looked on at them, wearing silly hats and offering a colorful morsel to each other, she felt leaving would almost be insulting. If birthdays really were a time to celebrate with loved ones and friends, then what truth was there to anything she told to Entrapta? To leave would end with fresh wounds reopened with new ones to boot.  
In a rare moment of fledgling self awareness she realized it’d hurt them.

And so she felt trapped, stuck between being the careless source of unintended pain or the manipulative social chameleon. 

To leave or to stay, she was going to be the bad guy either way. 

The train of thought stung as she mulled over her choices, pulling her in a long contemplative silence only to be pulled back out of it as a tiny puff of purple frosting forcibly entered her vision. Both of them looked on at her, waiting for a response. Catra didn’t have any more time to waste deliberating. There wasn’t any right choice if her gut was to be listened to, but smiling faces and confectionaries suggested otherwise.  
Hell. If she was going to be a villain, she was at least going to have fun along the way.

 

“You know.” She began, plucking the tiny purple pastry from Entrapta’s hand. “I don’t even know when I was born, so parties with your family and robots sounds pretty awesome to me.”

“Oh-oh-OH, you don’t even know your age?! Catra!” Pigtails gripped her shoulders and she suddenly found herself face to face with the birthday-girl. “Can I run a few tests to try and determine your age!? I’ve never tried carbon dating a living person before!” 

“Yea! That way we can know when to set up your party! And you know what they say-” Scorpia’s buff arm wrapped around her from the side as she plopped onto the bed. “-two heads are better than one, and with me and Entrapta planning the next party that’ll be like two and a HALF heads worth of brains! Oh! And if we get the cadets involved that’s like. A dozen times more brains!”

“Woah, okay. That sounds fun and all but if you start getting all the background characters involved they’re going to want to know when they were born too and they’ll want parties and it’ll just be this whole thing so why don’t we-” Catra’s attempt to politely excuse herself from future paper-hat parties veered wildly as both princesses gasped excitedly.

 

“OH YES! I can attempt to determine the ages of ALL the cadets-” 

“And then we can put together parties for all of them! All year round- ” 

“ - catering each one to their specific tastes and interests based on previous party experiences-”

“- TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE PARTY!”

 

“Oh god what have I done.” 

God couldn’t hear Catra over the sound of her counterparts shrieking and giggling madly at the prospect of a joint project however, and offered her no sympathy or judgement for what she had just unleashed on the tiny Whispering Woods outpost. Their plotting began immediately, Scorpia joining them on the bed and adding fuel to the fire with the reveal of further party favors she managed to procure. Sweet fizzy drinks, colorful shreds of paper, and a wireless speaker playing unfamiliar music scattered across the crowded mattress and between all the three of them. Catra remained the least active member of the festivities, often finding herself questioning if she belonged there, but even she couldn’t resist  the opportunity to chime in with a snarky quip or observation that was met with amused snickers time and time again. 

Somewhere along the way, she even managed to find the energy in her to attempt to snap the paper hat to her head only to find her hair and ears made it difficult. Instead they tied it to the end of her tail.

 

It went on for hours, well into the night and beyond the time any officer should have spent awake. The discussion meandered from place to place with no real aim, especially as the threat of early morning started to encroach. Talks of grand birthday plots turned into a stream of consciousness that all three eventually found themself caught up in.

Talks about the base and things they looked forward to doing, the life long members of the horde weighing in with things they’d dreamt of having and Entrapta’s continued assurance that nothing was out of the realm of possibility. Impromptu games that probed into the secrets of each, Scorpia at the helm and clearly just excited to learn more about her new best friends. And finally as, the night gave way to morning, the discussion petered out to things no one could remember saying only moments prior.

 

Multiple times Catra could feel herself slipping, pulling back into that place where she questioned her own motives and every was raised back up by some ridiculous topic change she couldn’t ignore. Over and over, the intrusive thoughts of anxiety were crushed just as soon as they surfaced, and while she was still uncertain of her own motives she also didn’t care.  
By the time Scorpia had fallen asleep with her arm hanging off the edge of the bed, the only thing that hurt were the edges of her mouth from smiling as she lay beside her.

 

“Hey…” a tired voice hung on to a thread, it’s owner resting her head against chest and an arm draped across her midsection. Catra glanced down at Entrapta who looked to be quickly hurtling towards the same fate as their third, claws dancing through her hair in tune to quiet music. 

“Hmm?” she purred.

“I just… wanted to say thank you.” Her face squished against her ribs, making the sleep-drunk smile that much cuter to look down on. They looked on at each other for a long moment, too tired to find words and letting sleepy expressions speak for them.

“This was the best. Best Birthday.” she managed as she shut her eyes and cuddled up closer. “Thank you.”

Catra watched as consciousness slipped away, and despite her earlier reservations she couldn’t help but agree.. A moment was spared to consider the scene of chaos; frosting smeared across the floor, confetti and glitter captured in generous portions on all of their persons, and the slowly fading out crackle of a dying speaker. Not too bad for a trio that had never thrown a birthday party before. 

A snicker escaped her nose as eyes shut and she welcomed the impending slumber, finding that as the last scraps of waking thought escaped her not a one was dedicated to her fears and self doubt.  
There was only appreciation for the warmth of two bodies flanking her and the cushioned bedding below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also.
> 
> SURPRISE.
> 
> Happy Birthday, you funky little science girl.


	9. Rise and Shine

The next morning, Catra woke in a way she hadn’t experienced in a long time- peacefully. Not in a start, sweat on her brow and lurching away from an imagined threat. Not alarmed by the sudden sound or presence of danger. 

Just, quietly and without flair, opening her eyes to take in the world around her. One second asleep and the next awake. She rubbed her vision clear and just stared at the ceiling. Thoughts came to her like programs to a booting up machine on a fresh start, and slowly her senses made her aware of her place in the world.

They told her she was warm and in the dim light, tangled with another form and flanked by the dense mass of yet another. Ears twitched to the sounds of gentle breathing right on top of her, and as she cautiously tilted her head she could see it’s source. 

Entrapta had managed to wrap arm, leg, and hair alike around her, holding onto her in a loose embrace as she rested her head on her shoulder. The heat of her breath created a warm patch on her neck that made the opposite side envious with a chill. Testing the water, she shifted slightly finding there was no escape this time. More of her wits returned as she examined the handsy little princess, only to notice she’d coiled her own arm around her in turn. Fingers rested across her ribs, and as if almost pushing to see how much she could get away with she drummed across her side to some melody she’d caught the night before. It was clumsy and hardly a feathered touch, and yet Entrapta remained still and quiet.

With nowhere to go just yet, she continued her lazy effort to take stock of things, and rolled her head the other way.

The mass of muscles and bright red chitin was impossible to miss, even in her periferal, but as she began to consider the slumbering shape of Scopria she found much more in detail. She’d fallen asleep on her belly with arm off the side, leaving her the musculature of her back on full display through the form fitting material of her fatigues. Powerful deltoids and jutting shoulder blades, Catra familiarized herself with the muscles behind all the power in the force captains enthusiastic embraces.  It even dawned on Catra that up until then, she never really noticed how defined her shoulders were. The sculpted form of a fighter- a form she was used to having at her back or coming at her head on for one of those aforementioned hugs. For a good long while she just looked, reviewing every inch of detail with an idle curiosity.

 

And then, with a great deal of care, she reached for it with her free hand.

 

Even as the pads of her fingers touched the fabric of her shirt, she wasn't sure why she was doing it. Maybe her brain was still booting up and she was running on unchecked impulsiveness, or maybe she was still delirious from exhaustion. Or maybe it was something to do with oxytocin- Catra was sure Entrapta could explain more if she was awake- and a budding addiction to the stuff, but one way or another she rested her hand there and on the warmth that soaked through. The way the muscles flexed as she shifted, murmuring nonsense in her sleep. She paused and waited for it to stop, and then began to roam again. 

Claws traced their way up and down the curve of her torso, losing itself in an idle floating gesture along her spine, before finally daring to roam up and against the stuble of her undercut.

Once more, Scorpia stirred lightly, humming an inquisitive tune as she turned her face towards them only to lose momentum to whatever brief moment of awareness she had and falling quickly and quietly back to sleep.  Another snicker hissed through her teeth as she set her head back down on the pillow, staring straight up at the ceiling. Thoughts began to develop in complexity, and blurry memories began to surface in her still mind slowly but surely. It began with simple things. Base instincts. Enjoying the warmth, enjoying the morning, just being happy. It then became considering the nights rest and the cat nap before. An entire day just slept away, uninterrupted and with manageable nightmares. 

And then, concern. Mild, nagging, but there. She’d slept an entire day away. Scorpia had little to report but she’d still gone an entire day without seeing the others. And even more concerning, she had no idea as to the time. It could have been past noon already for all she knew.

Catra grumbled as she tried to push it down, trying to just bask in the body heat and lounge in the surprisingly soft cushioning. But, it wasn’t enough. She was too awake, too aware to slip back to sleep, and as much as she wanted to lounge the day away she had to at least make an appearance.

The first step of which was trying to escape Entrapta. A task that was, after extensive consideration, not possible without waking her accidentally. So instead she opted a more direct route.  Her claw slipped behind her ear, gently giving it a flick before scratching lightly at where it met her skull in the same manner Entrapta had woken her previously. It took a moment, but the princess slowly stirred awake.

“... Catra?” she murmured, barely awake.

Couldn’t accidentally wake someone up if you did it intentionally.

“Hey Princess.” she purred right back. “Have fun last night?”

All she got was a long grumbled sound of a approval as Entrapta’s face pressed into her chest and rubbed. It elicited a little laugh that made her head bounce, but Catra managed to remain on track without jostling her too much. 

“Good. But, it’s time I got up and did some - you know - Second in Command of the Horde things. Just Force Admiral things. Nothing big. Think you can let go of me for now? I’m sure Scorpia would be happy to take my place.” 

“Scorpias shoulder width is significantly wider than yours, she would be too large to fit into place designated for your dimensions…” 

“... are you being literal? Because if you’re being literal, if I’m not here, and she rolls over, there’ll be enough room because I’m not here. Get it?”

There was a pause, Catra not entirely sure if Entrapta was still awake, before suddenly she blurted out.

“Acceptable.”

She did not, however, make any effort to actually decouple from Catra. But she didn’t complain either as the feline slipped away from lingering limbs and crawled over Scorpia who stirred as she made her escape.

More mumbled nonsense, ramblings that lacked form or annunciation. 

 

“Pst… Scorpia…”

“Mmf…?”

“Entrapta needs an early morning cuddle-buddy. Get your princess instincts in gear girl, come on.” More amusement seeped into her voice then intended, but knowing the only witnesses to her mirth wouldn’t remember she did little to hide it.

“Mwah…?” Clumsily she pushed herself up, looking one way or another in a bleary eyed hunt to understand what was happening only to find Catra looming over, pointing at the unconscious mess of hair that was Entrapta. She blinked a few times, putting the pieces together before lazily rolling over into position and scooping her up.  
Like magnets, the two wound around each other in a drowsy embrace before each quickly fell back to sleep- a mess of red and purple and confetti still remaining from the festivities prior.

Catra watched and smiled for a good long minute. It was a gesture she wasn’t sure she’d surrender if they were actually awake, but in the dark as the two slipped back under she felt unjudged. Unburdened by the nagging fears and thoughts that had yet to wip into a frenzy by sitting in her own head for too long, she just enjoyed the scene. They seemed happy. And even if she was using them or some false friend who managed to trick them into the situation, she took satisfaction that she made the right choice. Not only did she avoid wounding anyone's feelings, it seemed like things were maybe even a little better. For them just as much as herself.

And if being the manipulative crook meant they got to benefit from it as well, then maybe that really was the type of villain she wanted to be.

A strange sense of solace came over her as she considered it. Considered them. 

She was a villain. But she was a happy villain.

 

Content that her presence wouldn’t be missed too much, she got about to doing her job for the first time in roughly a week and to no one’s surprise, she found everything exactly how she left it. One day unsupervised be anyone but Scorpia, and the lights still worked, the floors were still clean, and the sounds of distant voices resonated throughout the halls made it clear everyone had not died. So, all in all, not bad.

Feet followed where ears guided, zoning in with a lackadaisical pace that meandered to any which way that the eye managed to distract. Little things that weren’t quite what she was used to a Horde base. Like, for example, a majority of the pipes and wiring seemed to be behind the walls instead of just exposed which was proving to be a strange experience at times.

It was all so organized. It was all metallic and hard but it lacked the bulbous disorganization, wasted resources on aesthetic and to cover for the secret tunnels that only she and Entrapta knew of. 

Hardly the normal prefab, but hardly the normal build team.

 

Even with brief detours to examine features she’d only just noticed, her journey to find the source of the voices was brief. It was, after all, not a very big complex. WInding a corner, she turned to see the double doors of leading into a large room that echoed a very one sided conversation.

“... I dunno man. This whole thing has been weird. The forest is weird enough as is, then we got all the weird stuff going on with how the base is built, and now the food? I mean… It’s really good food it’s just weird.”

Catra lingered just outside of sight as her ears twitched and swiveled to the sounds of Lonnie on another. Her last bout of spying didn’t end so well, but she was curious.

“I mean. I used to think Brown was good. But, uhm. This stuff…” Kyle responded and in the silence the sound of a loud crunch resonated before he continued, mouth full. “... this stuff is great. What’s it called again?”

“Toast.”

“And toast is… what?”

“It’s bread. But like, instead of cooking it once you cook it twice…”

Silence struck the room before a unanimous “Weird” echoed from inside and the conversation began to meander again, Catra taking the break in topics to make her appearance.

Stepping inside, she took in the “upgraded” facilities with a minor sense of awe and confusion. For the most part, everything was recognizable- tables and benches all organized in an orderly fashion and a large mechanism in the corner for processing and dispensing rations. However it was completely alien in appearance. Just like the halls, the decor was clean and all sharp lines, aesthetically pleasing but unfamiliar. The tables had cloths draped across them and soft lighting was set in place of the harsh fluorescents she was used to. And the dispensary itself was without question the strangest feature of the room. It’s core was immediately recognizable as a large squarish device that dropped rations bars from a front slot, but covering it were unrecognizable additions. Things that hissed steam and pumping mechanical arms all fed into rotating conveyor belt of platters of unrecognizable food. Another portion seemed to froth and foam with bubbles, slowly consuming a large stack of used trays.   
Entrapta’s signature was all over it.

It was enough to distract her for a good long minute so by the team she did register the trio of cadets lingering alone in the corner table, they had caught sight of her first. Lonnie was mid sip from a tin mug, eyes wide as she watched Catra prowl closer and the other two quickly following her line of sight before snapping to a standing position and offering crisp salutes.

The pieces clicked together after a moment. A certain trio was slacking and just been caught in the act.

She took the opportunity to walk right through them and steal Kyle’s seat, sizing up Lonnie who remained sitting.

“So.” Catra began, picking up a half eaten slice of toast to inspect before trying a bite. 

“So.” Lonnie responded, setting her mug back onto the table top, watching the other two awkwardly stare down at the recent addition to their brunch.

“Why aren’t you guys on patrols? I’ve been a little out of it lately but it sure feels like you should be.” 

Kyle audibly gulped and the both of the standing cadets began to shuffle as quietly as they could out of Catra’s peripheral and towards the door.

Lonnie remained unphased.

“Taking a much deserved extended breakfast after I stepped up and covered morning announcements in th’absence of all our commanding officers. Why are you covered in glitter?”

She stopped mid chew, glancing down at her forearms. Sure enough, trapped in the thin fur was a galaxy worth of shimmering glitter and confetti. It had escaped her mind entirely that she was still covered in the stuff after a brief but enthusiastic bout of impromptu combat training utilizing a sock full of the stuff. 

“Science.” she replied with a sage nod.

“You’re covered in glitter… for science?”

“Of course. I was helping Entrapta with some very important Princess Camouflage and part of the process involved dousing myself in glitter. It makes you smell like one of them.”

 

A silence fell over the room, awkwardness radiating against her back and skepticism from her front before a cough broke the tension.

“Uhh. Catr- er. Force Admiral. We’ll be getting to our duties… now. Uhm… dismissed?” Kyle was still saluting, rigid as he waited for a response. Catra had half a mind to ignore him and let him stand there like an idiot, but she was in a good mood.

“Yeah. Dismissed. Now beat it.”

Neither wasted any time making their way out, boots squeaking away at a gorwing pace that almost doubled the moment they were out of sight. They were long gone, leaving just the stand-in commanding officer opposite of her.

Both waited, eyes on the door until confidence in their seclusion was certain.

“I take it talking to the princess worked out pretty good or pretty terrible based off… all’a this.” The mug of hot bitter smelling drink gestured at the entirety of Catra before she took a sip of it.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I may or may not have aced it and may in fact be the best person at social interactions.” She dusted herself off, sending sparkles and paper-scraps onto the abandoned meals. “And I’m invisible to princesses right now so. Feeling pretty good.”

Lonnie shook her head and laughed into her drink before setting it down, leveling an arched brow and amused smile at Catra.   
“And Scorpia? I assume she’s out in the wilds lookin’ for you since you’re invisible to her too, and that’s why she wasn’t around for role call this morning?”

There was a pause as Catra considered the best way to respond, the edge of her lip curling up as she mused the best quip when Lonnie continued.

“Catra. Joking aside. I’m glad you figured out your shit and you’re feeling better, but no one seen you since yesterday morning. And like, everyone knows Scorpia’s been covering for you so when she didn’t show either people started to freak a little. Especially with all of … “ She shook her head and made a grand sweeping gesture at the neatly organized and entirely off brand mess hall. “THIS. People are starting to get a little weirded out. We got people complaining about not having a top-bunk cause everyone gets their own bed. The food isn’t… I mean alright, it ain’t bad but what the hell is scrambled egg?”

“Wait. Eggs? Like the thing Rog came out of?”

“ _ Yea. _ Everyone was so freaked about it no one touched the stuff.” She gestured towards the rotating conveyor belt, Catra following along and staring as piles of yellowish mash spun around and around.

There was a pause before Catra turned back offering an apologetic grimace. “I’ll talk to Entrapta about it… I’m sure it’s not as weird as it sounds.”

“I hope so. But like, point is, you didn’t show. Scorpia didn’t show. Weird stuff is going on around here. No one knows why. We got the inspector coming with the supply drop in like a week, and on top of that we are still in secret base in enemy territory. Some people started to get real worried you had gone missing and we were gonna have to explain all of this… weird shit.”

Catra shifted her jaw and grumbled something under her breath. The supply drops were spaced out over an extended period of time for the same reason communications were off limits, to keep exposure to a minimum. But it also meant that the supply drops also brought with them the only communications with the Fright Zone they’d have by way of an agent to inspect and report progress back to Hordak. 

Bimonthly felt like ages when they first arrived, but with the first week already wrapping up she’d have to start giving thought to playing host. And on top of that, now she had to deal with her subordinates clearly in some degree of upheaval.

 

Simply put she was actually going to have to do her job. 

 

“Alright… Yea. Sorry, we got swept up last night and lost track of time. I’ll make sure Scorpia’s around for announcements when I can’t be bothered…” 

“Catra.” Lonnie was far sterner than she should have been with her superior officer, but by the look on her face Catra wasn’t going to get away with throwing that card around.

“Alright! Fine, fine. I’ll try to be around for shit more often too.”

“Catra. No…” she sighed, rubbing her temples. “You need to like. Clear the air. People are starting to think this was a bad idea. You gotta be, you know, a leader if you want to keep this project running. The food, the beds, the base itself- all of it is nothing like what anyone here’s used to. A lot of people feeling uncomfortable. You gotta either fix it or at least tell folks this is the new normal, tell em it's part of the plan. Y’know?”

“Ugghhhh…” Second in command was feeling a lot less liberating than in had when she was first awarded the position. “Fine. Fine. Alright. I’ll figure out if we have any more fun surprises coming and I’ll talk to the background characters. AND I guess I’ll see if Entrapta can tone down the… princess. Stuff.”

A terse quiet settled in as they looked back at each other expectantly, as if there’d be some addition from other side only to find neither had anything else.

“Alright.” Lonnie came back with finally, deflating as she leaned back. 

“Alright.” Catra echoed, contemplating what exactly she was going to say to a group before glancing up from the glitter coated toast back at her companion. “You know. You’re pretty good at this stuff. Day to day management.”

“Yeah. Well, someone was actually going to class on this sorta shit… but thanks.”

“You also know I’m Force Admiral, right?”

Lonnie rolled her eyes and began to get up. “Yeah yeah yeah, don’t talk back. You’re my superior. Blah blah blah. Great way to end the talk as always Catra.”

“Atta girl.” She flashed a smug grin as Lonnie began to gather the discarded trays and started making her way towards the mad food dispensary. “But I was going to say I’m pretty sure I have the authority to give you a promotion.”

 

The grin only grew when she watched Lonnie nearly drop the trays in surprise.  
“What?”

“Look. I’m not going to pretend I’m any good at running things day to day. I’m all about the action, planning, plotting- BIG stuff. You know. Just generally being awesome. I could use a little more help picking up the slack. Someone to help Scorpia.” She pushed off the table and swung around to her feet, pacing past a stunned Lonnie towards the door.

“Keep it up and that person might just be you.”

Without any further discussion, she waltzed out and down the hall towards the showers. Part of her wondered if it was fair to even dangle something like that in front of her, thinking back to the years of always being just out of reach of Force Captain, but another part didn’t much care. 

She had other things on her mind as she trudged on.

 

What she was going to say to the rest of the Cadets. Picking up the slack and actually making sure things were ready for inspection. And, perhaps most importantly, spending the night having a lengthy discussion with Entrapta about what to expect with the base.

It might take all night, even.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What chapter is this! I lost track, and also started a side project I'm writing up! Just a little one shot, so sorry it caused a delay! Just keep on expecting those weekly updates because I promise they're coming!


	10. What does a kiss mean?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. You may have noticed the tags have changed with this one.
> 
> This is my fair warning that this is the chapter things get kinda pick up romantically as I mentioned they might. With that in mind please do adjust your reading habits accordingly, I promise the next chapter'll be without and that any future ones with will have a similar warning.
> 
> Also! A very big shout-out toseasinkarnadine.tumblr.com whose artwork of Catra has been a HUGE inspiration for how I've tried to portray the character! They also have a fic kicking around called "The Devil Is In" which is well worth the read- although I'm sure plenty of you have already checked it out!

Entrapta’s morning was significantly different from Catra’s in that, first and foremost, it was spent almost entirely asleep. A dreamless, pleasant sleep that came and went like the tide, slowly retreating in longer and longer intervals leaving her time to only briefly appreciate the situation. The softness of fur over lean, powerful muscles. The radiating warmth caught between two bodies. The fullness of a heart fed by the tributaries of affectionate contact. Each time her brief awareness of the world came to, it was to Catra.

Until, of course, her departure. In the moment her words made sense, but what was actually said would remain a positive mystery as a half-woken mind did precious little to file the details away properly. All she knew was that after, the landscape changed. Catra had to leave but in her place was suddenly a mass that intertwined with her like ivy. Larger and with bulbous muscles that hands roamed idly across in a sleep-drunk stupor, Scorpia was a far different canvas. A gradient of fur tufts was replaced instead with the change in smooth skin to rough chitin that proved less uncomfortable than a glance might suggest. Fingers roamed with greater interest as the eb and flow of her thoughts became more and more present, exploring curves and places where the two textures met and beyond.

The topography of her body made Entrapta want to be a cartographer, roaming across the peaks of powerful shoulders that flowed across fields of imposing pectorals and down across the the endless seeming abdomen. And fingers were not the only ones subject to this exploration. Just as with Catra, legs intertwined and calves idly ran along one another. Bodies pressed together creating a chamber of heat that made blankets unnecessary. And her face, as she finally came too with a mild start at the darkness, had been pressed firmly against a soft chest cushioned over the hard muscle beneath.

 

Arms that had held her there slacked as she began to move, bright eyes and black lips pulled back in a fond smile coming into view with the easing of her affectionate bondage.  
“Well hey there squirmy. You sure do move a lot when you sleep huh?”

“Scorpia!” A sudden sense of embarrassment struck her as she discovered the subject of half minded cuddling awake, manifesting in the sudden alertness striking her thoroughly in the moment. “How long have you been awake?”

“Oh I dunno. I don’t think I really fell back asleep after Catra left. Sorta like that in between when you’re sorta awake but sorta asleep? And you have dreams and sometimes stuff happening in real life is happening in the dreams like someone says ‘Hey Scopria!’ But in the dream it’s like a talking dragon who’s coming to hang out at your party going ‘Hey Scorpia, great party. I love you.’ And you know that was basically my morning.” She looked, as always, positively pleased to just be there. Which was fortunate as the bubbly delivery certainly lessened the impact of the end of her rambling thought.

“By the way, did you know you’re like super duper handsy when you’re asleep?”

Of course, dulling the edge didn’t stop Entrapta’s face from flaring up with a blush as the realization of her semi-conscious search for tactile satisfaction was not as subtle as she’d hoped.

“I apologize. I’m not usually-... well to be honest I was not actually aware as I have had no reference to previous shared sleeping experiences to know whether or not I’m so. Handsy. As you’ve put it.”

“Hey, it’s all good. To be honest, it’s about time you two got on board the Cuddle Express.” Her grin was stupid, but sweet. The same could be said for the arm pump and “Choo Choo!” she loosed in a mock conductor gesture.  
It could just be said about Scorpia by in large, not that anyone would.

“Still it’s… unusual. I’m not used to being so involved with… well. This.” A pigtail made a vague waving gesture at the two of them. “This behaviour is completely new to me in a practical setting and not purely hypothetical.”

“Well. Can’t know you like something till you try it, right?”

“I suppose not, no! Well. Actually! I suppose if you have a healthy backlog of similar experiences to reference you could construct a potential reaction. Although there are variables that I suppose change the outcome…”

Scorpia looked at with confusion clearly on her face before doubling down and repeating.  
“... can’t know you like something till you try it!”

“Well. Yes. I guess the simplest solution is the best.”

It was easier than trying to bounce further hypothesis off of her.

“Anyway. Now that you’re up it’s time to get moving. I have no idea what time it is but I’m pretty sure I missed a whole bunch of stuff that Catra definitely probably might have taken care of but I just want to make sure.”

This time, the decoupling was significantly easier. Both parties quickly finding the best way to undo the knot of legs and shifting weight to and fro to allow each the maneuverability to begin their day albeit significantly later than they were used to. A process only hindered by hesitation. Entrapta didn’t want to get up. She knew she had to, that there was work to do, but the thought of being left to her own devices left her feeling almost sad.

An unpleasant thought that bit at the back of her head like a mosquito, but was hardly worth doing more about than pushing forward.

“You were waiting for me to wake up?” Entrapta chimed as she was left sitting on the bed, adjusting clothes that’d twisted and tweaked during the late night twisting and turning.

“Oh yea, yea. I hope you don’t mind it’s just…” Scorpia paused, looking down at her feet as she got up onto them. “You know. I’m just happy. We never do that sorta stuff, and you know I’m a big hug fan so I just. It was nice to get to do it for once where everyone seemed to be really on board for it.”  
Even in the dark, the blush on her face as it turned to face her was visible.  
“I really like you guys. And you never know when that mood’s going to hit again so I thought I’d just sorta enjoy it while I could.”

Her head canted, Entrapta taking in the scene but not entirely able to process what she was seeing. It was clear Scorpia was hesitant or unsure of something, but the details were a mystery to her. She could have been as bare as a book and yet like rereading the same paragraph over and over the contents eluded her.

But what she did know and understand is how she felt about the topic, responding with enthusiasm. An opportunity. A promise to get another chance to feel the thing she didn’t understand but thoroughly enjoyed.

“Well! If I have found a new leisure hobby than I don’t see any harm in spending it with both you and Catra! You both provide very unique experiences, and I… do rather enjoy the company.”

Entrapta didn’t need to be a master psychologist to break down what she was seeing. Eyes lighting up, body posture straightening, cheeks practically straining from the smile.  
Scorpia was as positively charged as a proton.

“Yea?! Alright! All aboard the Hug Train! Boarding- later’o’clock!” If she could snap her fingers, Entrapta was sure she would have done it right then. But instead they were left with claws awkwardly pointing right at her. “Anyway. We’ll see what’s up after I finish up my rounds tonight. I might put in a little extra to make up for missing however much time it’s been. See you later?”

“I’ll be here!” She chimed back in a sing song manner watching as Scorpia departed, leaving her alone in her workshop.

 

Alone to get back to her work.

 

Just plain old alone.

 

It took only moments to realize just how bad the bug had bitten her as she got up and began going about her usual routine. Reviewing small projects, looking over results of long running tests, contemplating next steps in grand machinations- not a single one was able to hold her attention to the degree they should have. It was almost a chore, even.  
Passion projects and exciting prospects from a few days prior suddenly felt unimportant, and even contemplating doing the rounds to ensure construction on the facility were properly underway drained the energy from her.

Any time she sat down and got to work, it took only a short amount of time to find herself daydreaming. Fantasizing. Fingers stroking silky fur against the back of pointed ears. Bright eyes and pillowy lips. Whispered voices. Kissing. Thighs rubbing. Sharp gasps. Kissing. Hands under shirts. Belt buckles clattering. Kissing. Muscles straining. Kissing. Kissing. _Kissing_.

Time and time again she worked herself into a fluster, completely distracted as she stripped screws and nearly electrocuted herself half a dozen times.

Eventually the thoughts between her daydreams of the night prior shifted to the point work was completely out of the question. How was it that after only a few hours of having touch did she suddenly find herself so desperate for more after having gone without for years.

It was new and interesting and it certainly touched on things she never had gotten to experience before. And sure she was devoid of the same levels of attention and affection from an absent family for most of her life and even void of simple human interaction with other people in the later years but surely that should have strengthened her resolve. Reinforced her independence. Or maybe, as she sat there between bouts of attempts at reading the same report over and over, all she had done was gone starving for it for nearly a decade.  
And now the floodgates were open.

What were the implications of an entirely new facet to her personality she’d never had the luxury of experiencing before? What would happen to her work? Her schedule? Did she have to compensate and adjust? Were there certain expectations she had to satisfy for her own sake now or would continual exposure result in further distraction?

It wasn’t like her to fret. Entrapta liked to imagine at the end of the day she was a very optimistic person! In fact she’d been told that she was sometimes too optimistic even and didn’t know when to quit. Obsessive even. To have something come in and veer her norms out of the way in such an extreme manner was unheard of.

Afterall, it was a debate between working on a masterpiece of a defensive structure combining Horde, First One, and Her own tech and thinking about how she wanted to hear what noises Catra would make when she ran her fingers up her spine.

It should have been easy.

It was not, and that fact concerned her. It was an entirely unprecedented element added to her life that seemed to have effects that were only barely grasped.

Of course, in due time the concern itself was interrupted as well by idle daydreams. That obsessive nature taking over as she considered new tests. New things she wanted to try. Things she wanted to revisit. Results she wanted to get. Chaotic trains of thought made her methods work, but were also proving to be difficult in this instance.

 

Hours passed until finally, after near nonstop internal debate and attempts at work resulting in minor advancements and a few drastic setbacks, she gave up. It was too much, too many layers of concern and excitement and frustration and eagerness all layered on top of one another creating an executive dysfunction she couldn’t overcome. Working in the lab was like working in a fun house of thoughts, absolute chaos and impossible to get anything done. She was surrounded by distractions and the aftermath of attempts to deconstruct her feelings; chalkboards and scraps of paper trying to put emotion and feeling into a tangible format. Long rambling hypothesis that failed to even incorporate punctuation scattered amidst the electrical burns of mismanaged tinkering. Crude blueprints marred by doodles of felines and arthropods.  
And in the middle, laid flat on her back on the floor staring at the ceiling, Entrapta.

 

“Log entry eighteen. Hour… unclear. Is this how poetry is made? I never understood the appeal but I suspect that poetry is born from situations like this. I have finally recovered from entry sixteens attempt to ‘purge’ the emotions resulting in the brief but well managed fire and am once again of sound mind. I think.” Slowly she pulled up into a sitting position, looking around at the chaos. “My current hypothesis is that my current state is similar to an electromagnet. Attraction born from energy that will, over time, dwindle until it reaches a plateau or snuffs out. But as this is a fresh experience the energy is at its strongest and thus the forces of attraction pull me towards subject A and B. Obviously due to recent developments discussed between logs two to eight, the attraction is strongest towards subject A, Catra. For further notes see those logs and for specific notes on the ‘Kiss’ event please jump to minute thirty two of log four. Up to that point it’s primarily incomprehensible.”

A moment passed as she considered the ramble from earlier that day. Half an hour of one run on sentence that nearly blacked her out from air deprivation.  
Not her proudest moment but interesting nonetheless.

“However that should not undervalue the attraction experienced with subject B, Scorpia. While there has not been any specific emotional catalyst that spiked matters, there is an undeniable constant gradual growth. She has been a constant positive force, even when she fails to understand matters entirely, and with the advent of the newest development in my interest in ‘affectionate touching’ I find her own enthusiasm to the passtime to be a comforting source.” There was a pause as she pondered the floor before quickly adding.  
“Also muscles real big and they’re fun to touch.”

Slowly she rose to her feet, beginning to pace the room aimlessly.

“This attraction is likely more severe due to a backlog of unspent energy given history and lack of individuals to experience it with therein. Of course there was Bow who was very cute and now that I think about it he did do a kiss once as well but not on the mouth so it raises the question, was he attempting to display affection? Is kissing different areas of a person caused by different intent? My previous readings have not prepared me for this but it does create interesting theories.” She quickly scrawled done a few notes onto a piece of paper before continuing on her way, leaving the scribbles to be lost almost immediately in the mess.

“But on point. The attraction is currently super fueled by this backlog, likely causing interference in my day to day. I am uncertain if further connection with the subjects or seclusion will cause this energy consumption rate to increase or decrease, but given all notes prior to this point I think it’s clear the plan is to continue. Hopefully, either way, with time will come clarity and I will be able to continue my work unhindered.”

The click of the recorder came like a period, Entrapta staring at a wall of plans for the base, staring at them idly as she tried to once more get back on track only to quickly snap back into her recorder.

“Side note. I attempted poetry. I did not enjoy it.”

 

Another silent moment passed as she stared at the wall, trying to force herself back into an enthused state. Trying to find passion for her work that was all consuming only hours ago. But it was hopeless.

Reviewing the intricate hidden tunnel network made her think of spying with Catra. The planned upgrades to living quarters and facilities made her think of sleeping in with Scorpia. Revised notes hastily written down and partially obscured by frosting stains made her think of the birthday with both.

 

One final look was offered to the room around her before she sighed and trudged towards the door. It was time for a fresh start to the day, whatever time it might have been.

Food and drink that weren’t leftovers was a good way to start.

 

She strolled across the room, scooping up a project or two along the way. Things she could hopefully work on while she ate although she didn’t grab anything too elaborate or dangerous. A moment was spared to trying to stuff it all into the pockets of her overalls just at the threshold of the room when the doors sudden opening made her jump in surprise, metallic clattering across the floor like a toolbox had just thrown up.  
A wrench bounced to a noisy end at the un-covered foot of the person standing just beyond the doorway, Entrapta’s eyes traveling up across the torn pants and modified uniform before settling on the surprised and amused look on Catra’s face.

Time practically froze. All the pressure, all the mad-woman ramblings and hypothesizing and fighting with urges and obligations was suddenly weighing down on Entrapta like the oceans had swallowed her up. She was, at best, just recovering from being unhinged and the sight of her companion- the object of her infatuation and countless short form essays- stood right there. Smiling that sly smile that got caught on her tooth. Fear struck her for a millisecond as though she could hear the cacophonous echoes of her thoughts all at once, and then excitement at the very same prospect.

Her eyes went wide, her body tensed, and her breath ceased to draw as she just stared dumbfounded for what must have been less a second but felt like eternity.  

 

And before Catra could even manage more than a _Hey,_ it was Entrapta who pounced.

 

Not a single thought was given, not an ounce of hesitation or reluctance. This was all she could think about all day. This was the very thing that derailed her work, pulled her from her passions, haunted her every attempt at functioning the way she should have. The subject of hours of recorded ramblings and theories and breakdowns.

When the opportunity presented itself, Entrapta grabbed Catra by the shoulders and pulled her into a fevered kiss that spoke of everything. It relayed the desperation and frustration and excitement that had pent up inside of her. Fingers gripped tight and hair weaved around her waist to pull her in flush to her own body like two magnets at work.  
For a good long while she just held on, letting it rush out of her as her face went as hot as a struck match-head and her body threatened to soon burn with it.

Seconds passed. Maybe a minute. She couldn’t tell. She didn’t care. But eventually she had to come back for air at the realization she’d forgotten to breath, panting and staring at the baffled expression on her partners face.

Catra looked completely blindsided. Not angry or reluctant, just caught entirely off guard as she stood there trying to process what just happened. Whatever too-cool-to care remark or attitude she intended to flaunt was stripped away. It was corroded by the overwhelming force of Entrapta’s unrestrained affections, and as it set in just how unprompted it was, she began to withdraw sheepishly.

“I… er. Sorry. It’s just. You know. I’ve been thinking about this all day and I-”

 

The apology was short lived as clawed hands gripped her back the back of her head and pulled her back into the kiss with redoubled fervor. Surprise was sparked and snuffed out almost instantly under the crashing wave of emotions she felt as the kiss had them staggering back into the room nearly tripping over one another.

 

Too many feet stepped in too many ways and hands and claws pulled and tugged at bodies in an attempt to feed the need that’d only grown since the first uncertain little kiss.

Distance made the fire grow, a hunger fueled by absence suddenly left unchecked as it’s needs were satisfied by way of mashing lips and clicking teeth. It was just as clumsy as before. Just as undisciplined and unfamiliar and awkward as the day before, but what it wasn’t was uncertain or timid.

 

It was passionate, raw, and unchecked feelings and urges that coursed through two minds that barely had the means and much less the intent to control it. Wild and untethered, they didn’t know what to do with it and so they did what their bodies demanded. They got close. They felt each other. They fed on the energy and gave it back in a cycle that grew and grew as someone’s ass hit a table. An arm or leg or hair swiped the clutter away from the surface and suddenly gravity seemed to make no sense. They went horizontal on it’s cleared surface, tumbling for control or maybe just the fun of it as they anchored to each other in the weightless frenzy.

Blissful eternities withered away until clarity settled back into the scene, Entrapta finding herself on her back and Catra above her. They each came to their senses as their bodies heaved with hard won breaths and skin pulled tight into goosebumps. Eyes met, locked on one another and words failed to find their way past parted lips.  
If either knew what was happening, they failed to share it with the other. Of course, neither did, but even if they had an inkling they wouldn’t have been able to bare it to speak. Each lungful of air was precious for the soul purpose of regaining stamina for the next bout, not meant to be wasted on spoken thoughts.

And when they finished with their momentary pause, they began again. Little kisses. Pecks that were barely aimed and landed on cheeks and chins and jaws and necks as they fought for control of the flurry, before finally finding each others lips once again. The world fell away as hands dared to go where they hadn’t prior.

Entrapta advanced beneath the hem of the feline’s shirt, finding the soft fur on the small of her back before riding upwards. She traced her spine and dragged hard-pressed fingertips against it on the way down- now exposed by way of the rolled up article of clothing. And, for just a moment, took satisfaction in learning the muffled mewls the gesture earned her. She quickly discovered she wasn’t the only one playing the aggressive strategy, finding a hand on her belly, claws pricking at the fabric as they kneaded desperately before hooking on and pulling away the cloth. What should have tickled set her nerves ablaze, and in the wildfire of the sensation the simple touch brought with it a sharp gasp as the kiss broke and her head rolled back.

Teeth promptly took advantage of this as they sunk lightly into the side of her exposed neck, only prolonging the desperate attempt to pull air into her shocked chest.

Muscles tensed as the pads of her fingers crossed her ribs and up further still. Further and further as she squirmed and writhed eagerly before a sudden echo of her gasp came from above, Catra stiff as a board and her grip tightening into a fist pressed hard against her collarbone.

 

Entrapta watched, confused as she looked up to the nearly pained expression on her face before she shifted again and suddenly the tension released. Her knee fell from where it’d risen in the chaos.

It relented it’s shifting and grinding against the apex between Catra’s legs.

 

There was another pause. Both parties once more bellowing hot air across bare flesh of the other. Clothes were misplaced and hands where they ought not be, and both contemplated what just happened in a shocked silence. There was no hiding from it, they both had played that game alone but never had they added a second player. The sheer intensity of the moment and its implications hit them like a ten ton weight as they brought themselves to resist tumbling any further down the hole than they already had.

Thoughts rushed through the mire of passion, aimless and without direction before crashing into each other.

 

For the princess, there was concern once again. Overstepping boundaries. Doing something she shouldn’t have. Crossing a line she didn’t see. Like a hydra, the more she tried to kill the concern the more arose. It nearly ruined the fragile mood had it not been the sound of laughter.  
She blinked, glancing up at Catra as her chest body shook and she her laugh grew more and more intense. Giddy, even.

“Wha-hahahat are we doing? What was that?!” The electricity in her voice was unmistakable.

“I-I-I’m. I’m not sure. I just. I’ve been thinking and thinking and _thinking_ about you all day and this and the kiss then I just saw you and I just. BOOM. I had to!” Her own voice came back a mirror reflection, giddy and amused as she felt a tickle coming on as well.

“This i- Okay, I won’t pretend that I wasn’t thinking about it too but this is so… ! It’s… it’s totally different!” Catra sat up, straddled atop her now as she ran a hand through her hair. The new angle let Entrapta see the aftermath of her roaming hands, a belly exposed from hips to ribs, a shock white tuft of fur trailing from her belly button to beneath her belt line.

A hand immediately took to playing with it without protest from its owner, a gesture made in stark contrast to the words that came to follow.  
“We can stop. If you want.”

“Oh-hohoho. No. Sorry princess you’re not getting out of this _that_ easy…” Fangs bared in a carnivorous smile and her voice rumbled in a growl as it trailed off.  
It made her gulp audibly.

“So. This is… okay? We can…I mean. I don’t… I’ve never done this before.” Entrapta stammered excitedly, running her thumb up and down the tuft of fuzz as she dipped a little lower with each rotation until it hit the waistline of her pants.

“Neither have I-” she purred as she leaned back forward, getting closer and closer to pressing noses against one another. “-but I think we can figure it out.”

 

Smiling lips nearly met once more before Catra withdrew again, sitting atop the princess with a gloating grin. Hands retracted from beneath Entrapta’s shirt, giving her a moment to realize just how far they’d delved and how much of her own body was on display- a thought that summoned a nervous but excited giggle. A giggle that only grew more charged as she watched fingers slip beneath the bunched hem of Catra’s shirt, arms crossing over one another as she pulled the piece upwards and away to leave her exposed and in all of her fuzzy glory.

It was a sight Entrapta had seen before and one Catra had never been shy to share. Nudity among peers in the Horde didn’t seem to be a taboo, and to the scientific minded princess it was just nature. It was just a body, afterall.

But in that moment, in that heated cheek-flushing frenzy of hands and mouths, it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t a casual display. It wasn’t just a body.

 

It was Catra’s body, and it wasn’t bare for the sake of necessity.

 

It was for Entrapta.

 

Rudy red’s roamed across the display with new appreciation. New criteria for observation. She took in the flow of her body, the way muscles and fur and form all intersected and moved. How defined her shoulders were and the way her chest interacted with them as raised arms moved to finish removing the shirt. The flow of her torso downward and the v that cut beneath her pants being vivisected by the tuft of fur that’d caught her eye moments ago. Her body was everything she expected. Lean, strong, and- in some places- perky. She was made of sharp angles softened by the down of her coat, and much to her delight she was colorful. Whites and tans and browns all mixed in a gradient to form stripes and patterns across her body.

If she wasn’t so infatuated by the sight, she might have been self conscious about those same hands coming down to roam across her own bare chest with broad flat-palmed strokes.

“So. Are you just going to leave all the work to me now, or you going to jump back in miss Kiss-First-Ask-Second?”

 

The over-excited stammer stumbled out of her mouth and directly against Catra’s as she leaned to pick up where she’d left her waiting. It was less feral but just as heated as before. The furnace was still hot, but it was under control now. All that energy that’d erupted like an explosion becoming something they could at least channel without flying off the handle. Graceless, yes, but movements made with intent now.

Movements there were no shortage of.

Entrapta couldn’t resist as Catra fell on her. Hands tucked between their two bodies and began to explore without hindrance or restraint. They roamed across fur and muscle and lingered on a velvety soft chest, striking tender nerves like a flint against the steel of her work-toughened palms. Finger tips worked up and down, drifting over the edge of her shoulders and then back to around the small of her back. Attention pulled between caressing the back of her ears and the base of her tail, taking in the difference in the sounds each produced from the feline atop of her.

Hands continued to work on their journey, exploring every spot and gesture that struck a nerve and revelling when it was extreme enough the needy cat had to break the kiss to breath. A spectacle she got to appreciate in full when she seemed to find a particularly tender spot just beneath the base of her tail, making it strike up like a flagpole at just the slightest touch, she suddenly found herself staring up at bright reflective eyes that glinted with need.

She didn’t need to hear anything to know that it was time to pick up where she’d left off.

 

Once more her knee rose, finding her mark was hunting for her as well, Catra’s form shifting back to lowly grind against the hard joint to the sound of a long blush-inducing yowl. Her brow furrowed and eyes shut. Fingers and claws that roamed across her body dug lightly against the soft flesh, threatening to break skin. It was worth every scratch to watch though. To watch her face twist and contort in ways she’d read of. Words on a page suddenly coming to life in front of her. Things that’d been vague suddenly clicking. Eyes screwing shut and breathless sounds eeking past parted lips as she rocked back and forth against her. It was all because of her, the display of vulnerability and tenderness. The scorching heat radiating against her thigh as Catra shifted against it, practically crying out as she helped with the slightest amount of pressure.  
She was the catalyst for it, and that fact drove her to only push further.

Fingers went back to work, a hand permanently fixed to the base of her tail as she caressed the tender little spot below. The others roamed, playing her nerves like an instrument. They nails caught just barely against skin over her spine, pulling long lines down her back over and over as her kisses roamed across collar bones and breasts.

Muted mewls and desperate hisses overwhelmed whatever ambient noise filled the room. The hum of machines and shifting of papers failed to even register as white noise as the sound of her partner made filled her ears. Each one cataloged, ranked, and remembered, Entrapta trying to coax more of her favorites- the one that sounded so unlike Catra’s usual cool self.

The ones where her voice cracked. The ones where she tried to say something that burned up on delivery, the ashes of it’s eruption trickling down by way of stammers and chirps of pleasure. Ones where it sounded like she was about to break against her like it was too much but she couldn’t stop herself.

 

Those quickly became her favorite.

And the longer they sought them out, the more intense they became. Hushed voices grew in volume as she choked back cries. Words that grew in intensity and vulgarity as they worked together to drive her deeper and deeper into the moment.

Until they reached the end of the line.

 

Catra’s head fell against Entrapta’s chest, voicing peaking along with her. Her body shuddered, a rocking wave of clenched muscles came over and over as she gripped onto the princess tightly. Her fists went white-knuckled, undeniably loud cries muffled against her exposed flesh, and her form froze where it was as though terrified to move. It was something so intense a ping of fear of the unknown struck her. It was all familiar- but it’s severity? The sheer force behind what was happening atop of her? It was nothing like she’d experienced in her own hands on dabblings by herself. She felt almost out of her depth, unsure but excited to understand it. And maybe even recreate the results.

Moments of billowing hot breaths scorching her skin passed, the tension in Catra’s form loosening with each waning pulse before, finally, in an exhausted flop, she collapsed atop the princess.

 

Silence filled the room as the intensity lingered like a static residue. A hand rested on her back and through it she could feel the intense throb of a pounding heart and the rise and fall of each breath. The only discomfort the sting of a few scratches and a sudden chill against her thigh that’d been subject to such heat only seconds prior. Entrapta drank it in, floating without a care in the moment as they wound against each other.

She wanted to say something, but her cursory knowledge and overwhelmed senses failed to produce anything worth saying. So instead she continued to express herself the only way that made sense.

More tender little kisses, tiny things compared the the furious wild union that started all of this. More stroking fingers now caressing gently instead of coaxing embers. Quiet little gestures.

 

And when words were finally found, it wasn’t from her voice.  
“That was the craziest thing I’ve felt… and I’ve been in a simulated reality.” her head rose from it’s hidden place tucked against Entrapta’s body, face flush and eyes watery still as her chin rested against her sternum. “Does that have a name too?”

“It has several.” she chirped back, excitedly playing with the mess of Catra’s hair. “Intercourse. Mating. Coupling. Making love. Sex. I’m sure there are more depending on preference but those are the one’s I’m familiar with…”

“Making love. Let me guess, that’s a popular princess term for it.” Despite the disdain dripping from her voice, she seemed genuinely eager to know the answer.

“I wouldn’t know. Although it would match the aesthetic of royalty, wouldn’t it?”

A moment passed as a beat of silence took it’s turn in the discussion, ending when Catra pressed the side of her face back down against the princesses’ bare chest.  
“Which do you like the most?”

“Oh. Uhm. Well. Intercourse is probably the most academic version. But I personally prefer coupling… “ She wasn’t sure why, but to admit it aloud filled her with a sense of bashfulness that seemed completely unwarranted given everything that’d transpired.

“Coupling… alright. I can work with that. At least it’s not _making love_ .” Slowly, the feline began to move, pulling herself upright and sitting back into her lap once more. “So princess. What say we get off this table and I try _coupling_ with you this time over on the bed?”

 

Once more, a sense of bashfulness painted her features a bright red at the prospect. It defied logic as far as she could make sense of it, but the thought of being the one covered in roaming digits and moaning desperations brought her no shortage of eager embarrassment.  
And of course, there was no way she’d say no.

She couldn’t say yes either as the cat had her tongue too tied to speak, but an adamant nod did the job well enough.

 

“Perfect.” she purred, gingerly shifting off of her and leaving a sudden rush of cold to strike in her absence. She watched as Catra carefully stepped off the table onto shaky knees that threatened to buckle under her weight, trying her best to play it cool but still needing a moment to find her feet. A sense of pride came with the realization that she had done that. She was responsible for the tenacious, powerful Catra to nearly collapse with just a finger and her thigh. It did, also however, make her wonder what state she’d be in when Catra was done exacting her revenge.

“Damn…” she murmured, still leaning on the table as Entrapta began to swing over it’s edge as well with a perked brow. Before she could ask what was wrong, the feline moved her claws to her belt, unbuckling it and pulling her pants down to her ankles in one swift motion revealing the mess they’d obscured. Matted fur marred the inside of her thighs, and a wet patch soaked deep into the cloth now discarded on the floor. Fingers tentatively touched the source of it all, and once more Entrapta was confident she was about to watch her crumble to the ground.

“... I’m going to have to steal a pair of pants after this is over.”

An amused smirk tossed over her shoulder before she turned back towards the bed, arms stretched over her head an a saunter to her cautious steps.

 

Entrapta watched a moment, struggling with her owns knees after witnessing the aftermath, before quickly following after.  
“I… yes! Of course they may not be your size though so I’ll… be happy to share but maybe I’ll-” Before she could finish the thought she found herself nearly bumping into the lithe figure of the feline standing besides the familiar and still unmade bed.

“That’s alright.” She murred as she turned, hands finding her sides and drifting up slowly until they caught the impromptu crop-top and proceeded to pull it upwards. Arms- and hair- quickly adjusted to allow for it to happen without hindrance although the sounds of metal clattering on the floor and a weight lifter from her head reminded her of the mask that’d failed to be removed just yet getting in the way. A sheepish grin on her face was met with something much more canine on her partners as the garment was tossed aside.  
“I think I’ll try these on later.”

A hand pressed to her chest suddenly had her flat on her back once more, hitting the bed and bouncing into a resting position as the bare figure loomed over her. Before she could even sit herself up to inquire what exactly the remark meant, hands gripped the cuff of her overalls and - thanks to her stylistic choice to unfasten them over her shoulders- found them promptly pulled straight off her legs.  
“They’re probably baggy enough…” Catra continued to tease as she dangled them by a leg before letting them fall by the wayside, turning her attention onto the now nearly entirely exposed princess.

It was Entrapta’s turn to be subject of an in depth inspection, and while she certainly wasn’t as confident as her counterpart she revelled in every second she drifted over her. The blush flared once more, and arms failed to know what to do as she lay on her back. They shifted, moving to cover herself before drifting to over her head to resting on her stomach. The same could be said for her legs and gaze, shifting here and there and never knowing where to settle.  
It wasn’t until a claw gently hooked beneath her jaw and pulled her attention back up at the feline.

Duochrome eyes inspected her face, hunting for information in every nervously excited detail there before softening. A quiet tenderness filled her voice as she spoke in calming tones.  
“You can say no whenever you want, princess. Alright?”

 

Her heart skipped a beat, and after another long silence she simply nodded once again, earning another peck on the cheek.

“Atta girl… now. Scoot. I want to try something.”

 

Bodies shifted as the two took their positions once more, Catra above and Entrapta below- comfort coming with familiarity. And as before, mouths met in a bout of kisses that lacked the same ferocity as they did in the beginning. They were long, languid, passionate things that dragged out as they shifted against soft bedding. Hands found where they’d once walked were now tender to their touch, making them slow and meandering as though the slightest spark might start a wildfire once again.

Entrapta resisted the urge to tangle herself with her partner as she had before, leaving her to lead them with surprising skill along a path she’d clearly thought out.

Lips broke away, instead leaving a trail of pecks in her wake as she drifted away. They lingered on her jaw, and rolled down her neck in halfsteps before finding a shoulder. Entrapta lay back, drifting touches encouraging her on as she watched the mess of hair retreat further and further, taking her lips away from the home she’d made on her own. She winced and hissed lightly as teeth sunk in briefly to the tender meat of her joint, a little red circle joining the other marks already dulling against her olive skin.

And lower still, that mouth traveled. It lingered on her collarbone as though she got lost in the groove of it, and idled against her chest as she slid herself a little further away. Teeth and tongue pulled from her noises that she delighted in making as they found her nipples, toying with them in turn as though not to make the other jealous. And yet, she drifted lower still.

Heat found the princess’ cheeks once more as her the faintest touch of a chin tickled her belly, having to look away now as her partner made no sign of stopping. Warmth dotted along the curve of her soft stomach, and along the thin layer of fat over her hip. Hands joined now too, soft palms finding the inside of her thighs and pulling her legs apart as teeth found one of the few remaining pieces of clothing on her person.

Her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths as she felt the elastic band snap after it had been bitten and pulled and felt the humidity of warm breath against her skin. Hands came to cover her face as fingers hooked into the fabric and gingerly pulled it down, burning her own palms with her face.

And the entirety of her body froze as she felt a delicate little thing of a kiss plant on her, distracted only momentarily about her previous consideration about what a kiss could mean when planted somewhere else.

 

What did several kisses mean, peppered generously across the inside of her thighs and core of her heat mean? Or, what intent was there behind a rough tongue, slick but textured, dragging against her in one long draw? Did that even count as kissing?

Or when lips wrapped gently around a tender button, pulling from her a muffled cry into her hands, did that count as well?

 

Entrapta wasn’t sure. Just as she wasn’t certain gravity had the same effect on her it should have as an inexperienced but eager mouth to work her over. She also did find that Catra’s claws were retractable as a finger slipped within her, followed short after by a sibling while that rough surfaced tongue dragged itself across her most tender parts. Her back arched, and legs tried to close only to find shoulders in the way. She writhed in the stimulation, lightning running across her nerves and her breaths came in shuddering inhales and exhales. Cries were choked out before leaving her throat, only the cracked remains getting lost into her fingers.

It went on and on, but she knew that when the sensation struck her it was much sooner than the one she claimed from Catra. It was not, however, any less severe. Muscles tensed, body pulling into a contortion as her rear left the bed out right and jamming herself firmly against the felines reddened face. Legs clamped down on what they could and elbows clattered against one another as a explosive force struck her. It quaked the entirety of her body and robbed her of any thought. Over and over, it’s shockwaves rippled through an already tender body, locking her up in a shuddering, convulsing state over and over as Catra ebbed it on longer and longer until she couldn’t anymore, each stroke of her tongue becoming nearly painful in it’s severity.

And in that moment she collapsed into  warm, wet sheet, hands reaching down to grip at her partners head as she repeated desperately.  
“Waitwaitwaitwait-wait. Wait. Wait.” It was the only thing she could form with her mouth as her mind started to come back to her piece by piece, registering just barely a satisfied snicker from between her knees.  
For a time, all she could feel was lightning on her skin, soreness in her trembling muscles, and the heavy thudding of a burdened heart. She dare not move. Dare not shift less she spark another aftershock, and only began to barely register an arm curling across her stomach in a light embrace as her eyes peeled open.

Just to her side, face practically shimmering with a sheen from her labors, Catra lay with a smug look of satisfaction. She said nothing, waiting for the princess to catch her breath, and offered only the softest of touch until they were both certain it was over.

“So-” she began in that sly little voice with that tooth catching her grin.

And just as before, Entrapta didn’t give her a chance to finish as she found the taste of herself bitter sweet. Although, Catra didn’t seem to mind the interruption as much, pulling herself into the simmering embers of the nights affairs, holding on tight as they began to pull against one another.

There was a dangerous new sense of satisfaction that came with skin against skin, legs intertwining without a layer of cloth in the way, and warm fronts pressing firmly against one another.

One they both clearly enjoyed when they broke for air, smiling stupidly at each other.

 

“... I was going to ask you something.” Catra whispered, as though anything louder and less careful might earn her another surprise attack. “I was going to ask - before you jumped me- if going forward. You know. If maybe you wanted to bunk together?”

Once more, after everything- even stealing her own flavor off of her lips- Entrapta found unexpected butterflies in her stomach at the prospect of more.  
“Absolutely.” was all she offered as her embrace tightened.

“I figured…” she chuckled back, forehead pressing against the princess.

 

More was said, quiet sweet nothings in a tender moment meant for them and only them. Blankets pulled up and over them as they found themselves much more susceptible to a draft then the night before, and for a good long while they just lay there and spoke.

What was said didn’t matter.

 

Because just as with a first kiss and so many other things in a fledgling love, it wasn’t about the words.

 

It was about the person.

 

So they rambled to each other in hushed but happy tones, shared thoughts and ideas about what had happened and giddily expressed plans for future endeavors. On and on, until the final coals began to simmer out, and with one final kiss, the two found themselves in a peaceful sleep that felt well deserved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY. It took a while. 
> 
> I've been struggling with a few things, one of which being whether or not I wanted to make the leap with the adult content and after a fair bit of consideration and getting burnt out trying to write around it, I decided to do it.
> 
> I do hope the payoff is with it and it doesn't put off too many folks! As always. Another chapter. Another week. See you then!


	11. Tomato Tamahto

“Disgusting…”

It was almost becoming predictable.

Wake up, disoriented and confused, find Shadow Weaver, trauma, rinse and repeat.

Catra almost would have been bored with the whole ordeal, would have leapt to her feet to get it over with, if it weren’t for how much realer it felt this time. How she could feel Entrapta’s breath on her neck. The tingle of a sleeping arm beneath the princesses weight. How she could see the room exactly the state she left it- no smoke or shadows- and how she swore she could feel the bed shift under the weight of a tired looking Shadow Weaver sitting down near its end.

Her hair was droopy and oily, clothes tattered and mask cracked. She lacked all of the ethereal and dreamlike terror Catra had come to expect from her nightmares.

 

She felt real.

 

It all felt very. _Very_. Real.

 

And what was worse, was despite every sense she had telling her she was awake- that what was happening was actually happening- she couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even roll her head. Only blink.

A familiar terror from her youth struck her once again as she found herself trapped in her own body, heart beginning to beat out of a bare chest.

“How, Catra?” The witch groaned as she slouched forward, a elbow in her lap and hand to her temple. “I thought you couldn’t find new ways to let me down. The bar set for you was in the deepest trench in the darkest ocean, and still you force me to drop it lower.” Her voice was quiet and defeated, emanating from only one point. No show of power and projection. Just her.   
“And yet. I escape the Fright Zone, find your whereabouts, and travel all the way here to exact my revenge only to find you… you… I cannot even say. I cannot even BEGIN to express my disgust in this act. I am genuinely- truly- disappointed in you. Didn’t I teach you to be better than your base most impulses? Above this?”

She wanted to howl back at her that the only thing worth teaching she ever learned from her old mentor was how to fail.

But she couldn’t.

“With a princess no less…” Shadow Weaver shook her head, folding her hands into her lap. “How did I go so wrong? Here I was thinking at least you’d be a savage, brutal leader. You defeated me, lead an assault on Brightmoon, and struck deep into the wilds with a team on a secret mission. But instead you’re playing house.

I was almost concerned coming here. You bested me when I had the entirety of the Black Garnet at my disposal, and now I have just enough to keep you laying there. Barely. I was preparing myself to outwit you. To turn those around you into enemies and targets. Preparing myself for a challenge. But instead you’ve put yourself on a platter, without clothing, in a part of the facility where few know how to reach.”

She chuckled lightly, only to cease promptly as Catra felt a shifting she could only assume was a stirring Entrapta.

“And with a heavy sleeper no less.” Once more Shadow Weaver sighed, shaking her head in a show of genuine disappointment. Long spindly figures reached over to a stray pillow, dusting it off before pinching the fabric tightly and lifting it as though it were a bag of waste. “I suppose I shouldn’t complain though. I never did punish you enough for your failures as a child… perhaps I should have done this years ago. Ah well. Let’s just end this now shall we? No need to drag it out.”

Pupils tightened as she watched the witch take the pillow in both hands and rising to her feet. Slowly, she glide over her- just within her field of vision- as she loomed over her like an executioner with tool in hand.

Adrenaline surged through her system and she tried so desperately to move. To speak. To do anything. The harder she fought though, the more helpless she felt. There was nothing she could do. No trick she could pull. Not even a cry for help. The sting of tears began to bite at her eyes as her tormentor gloated over her.  
“Well. I suppose there’s no harm in taking our time… it’s a slow process anyway you know, suff-”

“Catra?”

“-ing. It’s painful-”

“Catra why are you breathing so hard?”

“-urning lungs. You’ll-”

Entrapta’s head peeked into vision, and a wave of confusion began to churn with panic in a brackish rapid. Why wasn’t she doing anything? Why wasn’t she stopping Shadow Weaver? Why wasn’t Shadow Weaver acknowledging her?

What was happening?

Desperately she moved her eyes back and forth, trying to point the human in the direction of the Witch assuming perhaps she couldn’t see her in the darkness- although it didn’t explain why she couldn’t hear her droning on and on about her hopeless end.

“Catra? Can you hear me?” the princess leaned in closer, watching her pupils dash back and forth before sparing a glance in the direction she aimed only to look back. No response. Not even a hint she registered the figure there.

Instead, she produced her recorder.

“Time unknown-” Another tendril of hair produced a small light, shining directly into her eye making Catra blink and squint. “Catra’s responsive and showing signs of acknowledgement but non-verbally. No movement.”  
A hand gripped her wrist, lifting it and dropping it back down to the bed.  
“No signs of physical resistance. Increased heart rate and heavy breathing. Coupled with elevated stress, irregular sleep pattern, history of lucid dreaming, and sleeping position I suspect sleep paralysis. I believe I have intervened enough to disrupt the dream sequence but for the sake of certainty I will now apply further physical interference.”

Entrapta straddled her, hands gripping her shoulders and shaking her aggressively.

Back and forth, back and forth, Catra’s head rolled back and forth before she yelped

“Alright, alright, enough! Enough! E-...!”

She blinked a few times as she caught herself trying to pry apart from the princess.

 

A glance was tossed to where Shadow Weaver had been- only to find the room was empty.

 

“Are you alright? I. Am. Real. Nothing else is present.” Entrapta held tightly onto her shoulders as she shoved her head back into view, hair gripping Catra by the cheeks to control where her vision was pointed.

“... okay. Alright tone it down there, princess.” Fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. “You didn’t see anyone else in here? Not even like… a weird shadow? Smoke monster? Anything?”

They both looked out into the dark workshop. If there was an entity made of darkness, it couldn’t have picked a better place to hide.

“I cannot say that I did. No. But I suspect you were experiencing a phenomenon known as Sleep Paralysis.”  The princess released her, but made no effort to dethrone herself from Catra’s pelvis.

“You made that up.”

“W- No I didn’t! I’ve never seen it before but I’ve read on the subject! Sleep Paralysis occurs in individuals with high levels of stress, irregular or inadequate sleeping habits, and is significantly more likely to occur in individuals who experience lucid dreams!”

There was a pause before Entrapta completed the implication.

“You are all of those things. That individual is you.”

 

Catra pulled herself up onto her elbows, glancing around the room once more before hissing.

“I don’t know, princess. I’ve never heard of sleep parasails before-”

“Paralysis.”

“Yeah. That. I’ve never heard of that before, but I know Shadow Weaver… I’m starting to think she’s messing with me somehow. Maybe she got out, got back to the Garnet. I’ve seen her do it before.”

“Have the other dreams you’ve been experiencing been about her as well?”

“She’s been keeping me awake since-...”

 

There was a pause as her mouth hung open, the words dancing just on the threshold of being spoken.

Shadow Weaver had been, but for the first time since it had began she realized that her old mentor replaced the original source of her sleepless nights. Adora. She had almost forgotten out right about Adora and how the thoughts of spending nights in a base of their own had originally plagued her on arrival. How it’d only been a few days, and yet something about her memory stung a little less. Like the only person she could think to point to for all of her pain and misery was the one who had only invaded her dreams in force less than a week ago.

It had only been a few days but so much of her frustrations seemed to have sloughed away, although she was certainly wishing for a pining heart over nightly spikes of terror.

 

“Catra? Your dreams?”

“Yeah. Yeah she’s always been a nightmare- in and out of my dreams. But this wasn’t a dream, princess. I’m telling you. This was like when I was little. Sometimes she’d just… come into the barracks and she’d tell me I was a failure. That she was going to get rid of me.” Catra looked back at the darkness. “Just sit at the edge of the bed. Try to make me feel hopeless…”

The bed shifted, Catra pulled from her mesmerized stare back to the princess as she shuffled back and offered a hand down to her. She stared, arching a brow at it curiously, before accepting it and sitting up across from Entrapta.

“I am telling you. It is impossible for Shadow Weaver to have been in this room right now because not only would I have seen her but the automated defenses are not currently set to recognize any other members of the Horde as friendly.”

“Wait seriously?”

“Yes. And based off of my brief time interacting with her, I doubt she’d have made it past my defenses and traps-”

“Wait. Hold on. She could have come during the day. Lonnie’s been telling me that people have been feeling strange and Scorpia said they’ve been bored, they could have let their guard down and she could have gotten in that way!”

“While possible that still raises the question of where is she now?” Her hand waved around the room. It was, unmistakably, empty.

Catra glowered at folded legs, thinking hard before ears perked up.  
“The vents. You’ve built an entire secret labyrinth in the walls. She could be living in them. Using them to move around.”

Entrapta conceded a moment, glancing around towards the nearest hatch to her secret network of secret rooms and crawl spaces, Catra following her gaze shortly after to find it closed and locked.  
“That still doesn’t explain why I wouldn’t be able to see her whereas my theory you suffer from a sleep condition- of which you have multiple causing factors- does.” Hands met hands again, and she squeezed. A surprisingly tender gesture. “I can monitor your sleeping habits again, but this time when things are going wrong I can intervene. I’ll help you.”

 

She could feel her lip peel back, fangs showing as she prepared to snap back. Tell her she was wrong. Tell her she didn’t understand Shadow Weaver like she did.  
But she caught herself staring back, taking a moment to stop and think instead of just acting on instinct.

“... alright. Alright. Yeah. Alright. I guess… I guess no matter which of us is right. So long as you’re here, it’s safer.” She squeezed back, nostrils flaring as she sighed. A cautious glance was offered to the vents once again, and while she couldn’t help but acknowledge that the appearance didn’t make sense- that Entrapta would have heard her, that there’d be evidence she was there- it still felt so real.

Like she had to be on edge again.

 

A state of being that was clearly obvious enough that even Entrapta picked up on it, shifting close again to lean in with a glint in her eye and sly in her smile.

“You know, if we are both awake again and we have some time before the defenses turn off we could perhaps take the opportunity to test some of those hypothesis we discussed?”

Catra dead panned, looking back at her.

“Princess. I just thought I was about to die by the hands of my deranged mentor.”

“O-oh. Yes. That. Is. Fair, yes not the right time. I understand.”

“Well. I mean… “

There was a pause as hormones fought with fear.

“I guess the distraction might be nice. Let’s just take it slow, alright?”

 

Fear lost out as teeth glinted in the dim low light and sheets bunched beneath twin figures aiming to exhaust themselves back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

To Catra’s credit, she tried to go back to sleep after the rude awakening and it’s subsequent distractions that did quite well at taking her mind off the matter. But as she lay in sweat-damp sheets with Entrapta peacefully back to sleep, she just couldn’t find herself able to slip back away. It wasn’t fear or frustration that kept her awake, having managed to at least suppress her concerns with the logic the princess provided. She was simply awake. Several days of rest and recuperation had done her right, and now she found herself in the early hours of the morning ready to begin her day but with nothing to do.

So, after an hour of trying she decided to just give up and get going. As always it was a process to escape the princess and her shackles of hair and limbs- that girl was like trying to get away from a sentient net- but eventually she managed.

 

She collected her clothes and bunched them under her arm as she stalked back into the corridors of the compound, deciding it was just best to act like it was any other morning routine. She hit the showers, abandoned her clothes in a receptacle to be cleaned by one of the cadets, returned to her personal chambers for a change of clothes half expecting the other shoe to drop and the nightmare to be revealed it was still going only to find instead a messy, shredded bed. A mental note was made to get that replaced as she changed, heading back towards the mess hall just as the sound of stirring individuals could be heard.   
Yawns, quiet murmurings, closing and opening of lockers, and shifting bedding, all tell tale signs of the start of the day.

A sense of smug satisfaction hit her as she realized she’d risen earlier than even the earliest risers, feeling like she’d peaked past the curtain in some capacity as she activated the ration dispensary.

 

By the time the monstrosity of cobbled parts and alien design finished it’s work and produced for her a stack of round baked something or other doused in something sweet and sticky, she found herself no longer alone.  
Lonnie, hair still wet and clothes crisp, came strutting into the room only offering her a glance before getting her breakfast and joining her at the only table occupied.

 

“So what happened this time.” she began, not looking up from the tin mug of bitter drink she poured some powder into.

“Mmrf?” Catra chirped inquisitively through a mouth filled with what was proving to be the most delicious garbage she had ever crammed into it.

“Scorpia-” she began, taking a sip of the drink before pouring more powder into. “-was just lurking outside and when I tried asking what’s up she laughed and said she had to go check the samophlange.”

Catra glanced to the doorway half expecting to find the other princess still lurking, swallowing hard when she found it empty. “I have no idea. I didn’t even see her after yesterday morning and I’m pretty damn sure we ended that whole engagement on good terms. Also the fuck is a samophlange?”

“I have no idea.” Lonnie sighed, taking another sip and nodding in a satisfied manner. “I was hoping it was some crazy secret… thing you were working on with the princess.”

“I’unno… I’ll ask when I see her tonight.”

“Tonight? What’s tonight?”

“Uh.” Catra stared a moment before cramming another mouthful of what had no right counting as part of a balanced breakfast into her mouth and shrugging. “Mmf moo’n ahly eposss wid ehr.”

“Hey, Catra? That’s disgusting. C’mon- what’s going on? Did you not talk to her last night like you said you would? About the eggs and all the princess stuff.”

 

Eyes rolled and she deliberated her answer while making a show of chewing, only “finishing” when she found the best way to say no.  
“We met last night to discuss the whole living arrangement thing, yes, but we got caught up in a heated discussion regarding some big plans we got. REALLY big plans. You wouldn’t understand. Very smart. Very complicated. So we decided since we have so much we’re going to be doing together going forward we’d have daily meetings after curfew.”

“... uh-huh. And Scorpia. Is she invited to these meetings?”

 

Another pause, another attempt to cram a load of flapjacks into her mouth as Lonnie reached across the table to grip her wrist.

“Hey, hey! Stop dodging questions!”

“I’m just hungry!”

 

The struggle was brief, ending when the quarter stack of jack impaled on the fork was thrown down to the table.

“Alright, alright! Fine! I don’t know! Scorpia being at the meetings might be weird, I don’t know!”

“So something _did_ happen.”

“No.” she lied in an incredibly obvious manner.

“Scorpia is basically your second hand-man, Catra. Why wouldn’t you be inviting her to a secret meeting you’re having with a mutual friend?”

“How dare you. We are professional acquaintances, not friends.” the feigned gall was also painfully obvious.

“Why are you excluding Scorpia.”

“Why do you care if I may or may not be?”

“Because the last time your dumb ass got into a tizzy with one of the princesses it ended with me getting sucker punched, my uniform getting destroyed, and then having to pick up the slack and run role-call. And that all literally just happened. So like, either gemme that promotion or get your shit sorted.” Her glare was stern, and part of Catra actually felt intimidated forgetting for a minute that Lonnie was no push over. “So what is happening so I can know what to expect.”

 

Once again impulse barged in, ready to snap and dismiss Lonnie, but before she could bark her down control reigned it in. There was no reason to, Lonnie knew more about her personal affairs than anyone else in the base besides the princesses themselves and she was proving to be a reliable friend.  
So. Catra, hesitantly, trusted her.

“... alright. Look. Do you remember when I was little? And sometimes I had trouble sleeping yea? I would just, you know, bunk up with Adora.”

 

She stopped, watching as her cohorts face cycled through confusion, dawning realization, and then frustration.  
“So you’re bunking up with her Royal Craziness. Alright… alright, not my sorta thing but that seems harmless. What’s the deal if Scorpia is involved? Princesses love that sorta shit don’t they, and Scorpia is like fueled by hugging.”

“Well. I don’t know...” Catra considered elaborating more, contemplated giving up just enough to let on just how far the bunking went but decided against it.  
She could already see Lonnie’s blood pressure rising just talking about something platonic, admitting more might kill her. “I don’t know. I just. I like Scorpia, alright? Don’t go telling her that, but I guess this just sorta snuck up on me. I didn’t plan it, I never thought I’d like it but. Here we are.”

The sound of a boot tapping on the tiled floor repeated beneath the table, Lonnie shaking as she bounced her heel in thought.

“Alright. Alright, okay. So. Just… go talk to her. Maybe involve her if that’s like… you guys thing. If everyone’s on board there’s no harm, right? I mean she and princess seem pretty tight already. I bet if you sorta stepped in it’d all fall into place.”

 

Ears twitched as she considered, picking her fork back up and cramming the food back into her mouth. It was too good to waste and she wanted an excuse to stop talking for a minute. Lonnie might have been missing part of the picture but, as far as Catra was concerned, it still made sense. Scorpia had always dropped hints. “ **_Hints_ ** .” That she liked Catra’s company. That she wanted to be close. It may have not been a far off guess maybe, just maybe, she was feeling left out.  
But when part of her thought about it, thought about involving her in what had happened the night before, it gave her butterflies in her stomach for reasons she didn’t understand.

 

Then another thought occurred to her. Even if Lonnie didn’t know it, they weren’t talking about just spending the night wrapped up with someone else. They were talking about something a bit bigger, even she forgot that in part. Because Scorpia was already involved in bunking up. She had just a night prior. Knowing her and Entrapta were spending time together wouldn’t have upset her.

 

Which meant, she realized with a sudden drop of the stomach, that Scorpia knew what was really going on.

 

She also realized that, despite the door being shut that morning, she and the princess had been too swept up to bother to do it themselves.

 

Lonnie blinked as she suddenly rose, shoving the tray towards her.  
“Good talk Lonnie. I need to go take care of something- rinse that for me? Thanks.”

 

And like that, she was out the door, leaving a confused but grateful cadet to steal what was left of a partially eaten stack of flapjacks.


End file.
